Supreme Court Urges Punjab, Haryana to Cooperate with Centre on SYL Canal Dispute
The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the governments of Punjab and Haryana to work collaboratively with the Centre to reach an amicable resolution to the long-standing Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal dispute.
A bench comprising Justices B.R. Gavai and Augustine George Masih was informed by the Centre that it has already initiated efforts toward a peaceful settlement. “We direct both the states to cooperate with the Union of India in arriving at an amicable solution,” the bench stated.
The court scheduled the next hearing for August 13, indicating it would intervene further if the matter remains unresolved. “We have made efforts for mediation, but the states have to walk the talk,” Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati told the court.
The SYL canal, designed to distribute water from the Ravi and Beas rivers, was planned as a 214-km project—122 km in Punjab and 92 km in Haryana. While Haryana has completed construction within its territory, Punjab, which began work in 1982, later halted the project amid political and public resistance.
The dispute has dragged on for decades, with the Supreme Court ruling in 2002 in Haryana’s favor, directing Punjab to complete its portion of the canal—an order that remains unimplemented.
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