Chandigarh, Jan 27 (IANS) Meeting in joint capital Chandigarh to amicably resolve the decades-long Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal water sharing dispute between their states, Chief Ministers of both Punjab and Haryana on Tuesday said that their talks were positive and in the coming time, there would be discussions at the officer level.

In a joint press briefing after the meeting, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said the issue has been pending for years.

“I kept my views, he (Haryana counterpart Nayab Singh Saini) kept his views. We have decided today that the officials will meet on a frequent basis and not just wait for the dates of the Supreme Court (hearing). The honourable Supreme Court and the Centre have asked us to hold talks over the issue. People of Punjab and Haryana have given us respective responsibilities, and we also want the issue be resolved,” he said.

His Haryana counterpart, Saini, said: “We met as per the Supreme Court’s directive, and meaningful discussions took place. Even before this, we had discussions under the chairmanship of (Union Jal Shakti Minister) C.R. Patil, and there too the conversation was positive. Today as well, the discussion happened in a positive atmosphere. We have decided that in the coming time, there will be discussions at the officer level, and whatever emerges from that will come to us. We will sit and move forward on it.”

The meeting lasted around 30 minutes, during which both leaders agreed to carry forward the ongoing positive dialogue, officials said.

Haryana Irrigation Minister Shruti Choudhry and Punjab Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal were also present, besides senior officers from both states.

The next round of discussions will be held at the secretary level of both states, after which further action will be taken within the next fortnight, an official familiar with the development told IANS.

In the previous round of talks, the fifth one held on August 5, 2025, Punjab CM Mann had urged the Centre to duly utilise the water of the Chenab river to resolve the long-pending water dispute with Haryana by shelving the Satluj Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue.

Taking part in deliberations at a meeting called by Union Jal Shakti Minister Patil over the issue of the SYL canal amidst the presence of Saini, Mann had said at the last meeting on July 9, the Union government informed that the Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan has been suspended, which “opens up a major opportunity for India to utilise water from the Chenab, one of the western rivers earlier given to Pakistan under the treaty”.

He had said the Centre should now divert Chenab’s water to Indian dams like Ranjit Sagar, Pong, or Bhakra, adding that to carry this extra water, new canals and infrastructure would be required, which would be built in Punjab.

The SYL canal has been a bone of contention between Punjab and Haryana since the 1980s.

After the previous meeting, Haryana CM told the media that a meeting was also held on July 9 in which “a very positive discussion took place”.

“This time also, a step forward has been taken, and the discussion was held in a positive atmosphere,” he had said.

In November last year, the Punjab Chief Minister, at the meeting of the Northern Zonal Council (NZC), had charged a majority of the states, comprising Haryana, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh, with being hell-bent on infringing the rights of his state.

Mann had said that those who are making hue and cry over river waters must understand one thing: the real-time assessment of the availability of river waters should be made, for which the presence of water must be reviewed. The CM had said that every other state is seeking a share in the rights of Punjab, which is illegitimate. He had categorically said the government is duty-bound to safeguard the interests of Punjab and no stone will be left unturned for it. The Chief Minister had said Haryana has made a strange demand that Punjab should refrain from constructing mini-hydro projects on the Bhakra Main Line (BML) as it will hamper the flow of water. He had said it was surprising that the naive leadership of Haryana was indulging in such tantrums, which were baseless and far from facts.

–IANS

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