Punjab Not Cooperating In Resolving Sutlej-Yamuna Canal Dispute: Centre
NDTV
The Supreme Court, which observed that water is a natural resource, said the parties have to have a "broader outlook".
The Centre on Tuesday told the Supreme Court the Punjab government is "not cooperating" in resolving the decades-old Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal dispute between the state and Haryana.
The top court, which observed that water is a natural resource and living beings must learn to share it, said the parties have to have a "broader outlook" and realise the ramifications and necessity of a negotiated settlement, more so in view of security concerns, apparently referring to the occasional violence over the project.
The counsel for Punjab told a bench headed by Justice S K Kaul that the state government is very keen to resolve the issue amicably.
At the outset, Attorney General K K Venugopal, appearing for the Centre, told the bench that the top court had in 2017 said that matter should be amicably settled and the Union of India, through the Water Resources Ministry, has been trying to bring together states of Haryana and Punjab for the purpose of an amicable settlement.
