Mann–Saini Meet on SYL: Talks Held in Cordial Atmosphere; Officials of Punjab and Haryana to Hold Regular Meetings to Resolve Issue; Watch Video
Babushahi Network
Chandigarh, January 27, 2026:
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Tuesday said that senior officers of both states will now hold regular meetings to work towards a resolution of the long-pending Sutlej–Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue.
Addressing a joint press conference after their meeting, the two Chief Ministers described the discussions as having taken place in a very cordial and constructive atmosphere. They said it was mutually agreed that officials from both sides would first engage in detailed deliberations and explore possible solutions, following which the political leadership would take an appropriate call.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann clarified that the meeting was held in compliance with the directions of the Supreme Court, but emphasized that the states would not wait for further court hearings to continue dialogue. “Regular meetings of officers will be held to move forward on this issue,” he said.
Mann stressed that Haryana should not be viewed as an adversary. “Haryana is not our enemy; it is our younger brother,” he remarked, underlining the need for a cooperative and humane approach. Citing the example of Bhai Ghaniya Ji, he said that compassion and public welfare must guide all decisions, adding that the interests of the people of both Punjab and Haryana would remain paramount.
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini also echoed similar sentiments, stating that dialogue and mutual understanding were essential to resolving sensitive inter-state issues like SYL. He expressed hope that sustained engagement at the official level would help in arriving at an amicable and lasting solution.
The SYL canal dispute, one of the most contentious inter-state issues in the region, has remained unresolved for decades and continues to be under the consideration of the Supreme Court.
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Both leaders said that Gurbani of Guru Sahiban is their guiding spirit.
Background: The SYL Canal Dispute
The Sutlej–Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal was conceived to facilitate the sharing of Ravi–Beas river waters between Punjab and Haryana following the reorganisation of Punjab in 1966, when Haryana was carved out as a separate state.
Haryana was allocated a share of river waters by the Centre, leading to the planning of the SYL canal to carry water from Punjab to Haryana. Punjab, however, has consistently opposed the project, maintaining that it is a riparian state with no surplus water to share and that the construction of the canal would severely impact its farmers and already-depleting groundwater resources.
Construction of the canal began in the early 1980s but was stalled due to strong public opposition, political resistance, and law-and-order concerns. The issue gained further prominence after the 1985 Rajiv–Longowal Accord, which provided for the completion of the canal along with a fresh assessment of water availability—an assessment that was never fully carried out.
In 2004, the Punjab Assembly passed the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act, terminating all earlier river water-sharing agreements. The move was challenged by Haryana in the Supreme Court, which has since delivered multiple rulings directing Punjab to complete the SYL canal.
In 2016, the then Parkash Singh Badal–led Punjab government denotified and returned over 4,000 acres of land acquired for the SYL canal to farmers, further complicating the matter.
The dispute remains unresolved and continues to be one of the most sensitive inter-state water-sharing conflicts in the country, involving legal, political, environmental, and humanitarian dimensions.