New Delhi, Jan 13: Two days before the expiry of the deadline for Punjab to complete the Sutlej-Yamuna-Link (SYL) canal to bring Sutlej water to Haryana, Punjab government today filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking constitution of a tribunal to resolve the issue. In a petition, filed in the apex court registry, setting up of a tribunal has been sought by the Punjab government on the ground that the circumstances had undergone sea changes since the Punjab Reorganisation Act (PRA) was passed in 1966 as the water flow in the river has decreased to 14.3 MAS from 17.17 MAS in the last 25 years
Challenging the constitutional validity of Section 78 of of the PRA, providing for distribution of water between the two states, Pubjab has called for the review of the entire issue again, official sources here said.
The state government also challenged the vires of the Section 14 of the Inter-State Water Ditriubution Act (ISWDA) claiming that various related issues discussed under its provisions in the Rajiv-Longowal accord relating to the problems of Punjab, including the SYL, had not been addressed to so far.
Claiming that trans-basin diversion of water is not permitted under the ISWDA, in such circumstances, the SYL issue could not be tackled in isolation, the Punjab government has contended.
Bureau Report