"Water Is A Natural Wealth To Be Shared" : Supreme Court Asks Union To Negotiate Between Punjab & Haryana Over Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal Dispute

The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Union Government to hold meetings between the States of Punjab and Haryana to resolve the dispute related to Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal.

A bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Abhay S Oka and Vikram Nath was hearing an original suit filed by Haryana against Punjab in 1996.

Appearing for the Union Government, Attorney General for India K. K. Venugopal submitted that the Ministry of Jal Shakti is trying to bring together the State of Punjab and the State of Haryana. The Attorney General informed that the State of Punjab is not cooperating in the matter.

At this, the Court directed all the parties to cooperate and stated that, "Either they sit and talk or the Court will order execution of the decree….These issues should not be allowed to fester…. It will allow forces that may not be amicable to the country to act and interfere."

The Court noted that the matter is a sensitive matter and cannot be left like this in larger interest of the country. The court stated that, "Water is a natural resource and living beings must learn to share it, whether it is individual or states. The matter cannot be looked at from the point of view of only one city or one state. It's the natural wealth to be shared and how it is to be shared is a mechanism to be worked out." 

he court directed the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti to hold meetings between the parties and 4 months' time has been granted to file a report on the meeting. The matter is next to be taken up on January 19, 2023.

Case Title : State of Haryana versus State of Punjab Original Suit No.6/1996