Chandigarh (Haryana) [India], September 26 (ANI): The Haryana Government on Tuesday raised the issue of equal distribution of water between Haryana and Punjab at the 31st Northern Zonal Council meeting in Amritsar.

Speaking at the 31st meeting of the Northern Zonal Council (NZC) meeting chaired by the Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that Punjab is misleading on the construction of the Sutlej Yamuna Link. "Punjab government is continuously misleading on the construction of Satluj Yamuna Link (SYL). They are continuously saying that the availability of water has reduced, but the construction of the canal and the availability of water are two different issues," the Haryana Government said.

He also demanded the completion of the construction of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal (SYL) canal in the Punjab region.

The government further alleged that the surplus unchanneled water of Ravi, Sutlej and Beas goes to Pakistan.

"In the last 10 years, an average of 1.68 MF of Sutlej water and 0.58 MF of Ravi and Beas water went towards Pakistan. For the proper utilization of this national wastage, production of SYl is necessary," they added.

"There is only one carrier channel from Bhakra Dam to Haryana i.e. 61 km long Nangal Hydel Channel which is 68 years old. In case of any emergency, if there is no water supply in Haryana, in such a situation SYL will also work as an alternative channel,'" they said.

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann that the state has no spare water to share with any other state so instead of the Satluj Yamuna Link (SYL) canal, the project should be now conceived as Yamuna Satluj Link (YSL).

He said "The Satluj river has already dried up and there is no question of sharing even a single drop of water from it. Rather, Bhagwant Singh Mann said that water from the Ganga and Yamuna should be supplied to Punjab through the Satluj River."The Chief Minister said that the SYL canal is a highly 'emotive issue' for Punjab and that the construction of this canal will lead to serious law and order issues and will become a national problem, with Haryana and Rajasthan also suffering the impact.

He said that Punjab has no surplus water to share with Haryana and reassessment of availability of water is required as per international norms adding that setting up a new Tribunal as per new Terms of reference and changed circumstances including Yamuna waters is the only solution of the water Dispute. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that Punjab's 76.5 per cent blocks (117 out of 153) are over-exploited where the stage of groundwater extraction is more than 100 per cent, whereas in Haryana only 61.5 per cent (88 out of 143) are over-exploited.

Strongly opposing the demand of Rajasthan for members in the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that BBMB is a body constituted under the provisions of the Punjab Reorganization Act 1966, which primarily deals with the successor States of Punjab and Haryana.

He said that the state of Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh or any other State for that matter is not concerned at all under provisions of the above said Act.

Mann therefore, strongly opposed the proposal of having a third member in the BBMB from the State of Rajasthan or Himachal Pradesh.

He said that the directions issued to BBMB by the government, are not acceptable to the state of Punjab and need reconsideration by the government as in the wake of water agreements, no water is required to be allocated to the state of Himachal Pradesh out of the River Sutlej and Beas.

Mann said that moreover, the work of BBMB is only for administration, maintenance and operation of the dam and reservoirs adding that it is not authorized under the Punjab Reorganization Act to give any water out of the rivers to any State other than the partner States. Himachal Pradesh is not a partner state also. (ANI)