Haryana Assembly denounces Punjab move on Chandigarh, passes resolution on SYL

| | Chandigarh
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Haryana Assembly denounces Punjab move on Chandigarh, passes resolution on SYL

Wednesday, 06 April 2022 | PNS | Chandigarh

The Haryana Assembly on Tuesday passed a resolution seeking the completion of the SYL canal and the transfer of Hindi-speaking areas from Punjab, while denouncing the neighbouring state for staking claim over Chandigarh. The tit-for-tat resolutions follow the recent row after Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that the central service rules would now apply to the employees of the Union Territory of Chandigarh. The new AAP government saw this as an attempt by the BJP-led Centre to diminish the state’s say in the UT.

The Haryana government had summoned the one-day assembly session just days after the Punjab House passed a resolution seeking the immediate transfer of the Union Territory of Chandigarh to the Aam Aadmi Party-run state. “This House notes with concern the resolution passed in the Legislative Assembly of Punjab on April 1, 2022 recommending that the matter for transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab be taken up with the Central government,” the Haryana resolution said. “This is not acceptable to the people of Haryana,” it said, adding that Haryana continued to retain its right to the joint capital of the two states.

The resolution, moved by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, was adopted unanimously after a three-hour debate. It was backed across party lines in Haryana. During the discussion in the Vidhan Sabha that lasted for 3 hours, about 25 MLAs including those in power and the opposition shared their views supporting the said resolution.

Participating in the discussion, former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda slammed the resolution passed by the Punjab Assembly. “The Punjab resolution has no meaning, it is only a political gimmick,” the Leader of Opposition in the Haryana Assembly said. Haryana’s Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala said Chandigarh was, is and will remain the capital of the state. Congress leader Raghuvir Singh Kadian said it is time for Haryana to fight a “do-or-die” battle for its rights. Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij said the Punjab’s resolution was a “political resolution”. Indian National Lok Dal leader Abhay Singh Chautala said the BJP-led Haryana government had not made enough efforts on the SYL canal issue.

While discussing the resolution Khattar, the Chief Minister said that Haryana has a right on Chandigarh and the State will definitely get its legitimate share of SYL water.  Along with this, he also raised the issue of Hindi-speaking villages which have been included in Punjab in the House.

The Chief Minister said that this special session of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha has been called to pass the resolution brought for claiming its rights on Chandigarh. Khattar said that the Shah Commission constituted for partition on April 23, 1966, had asked to give the Hindi speaking village of Kharar region and Chandigarh to Haryana, but on June 9, 1966, in the meeting of the Union Cabinet, Chandigarh was declared as a Union Territory.  It was also made the capital of both Punjab and Haryana.  After that different agreements were reached but this issue was not resolved. The Chief Minister said that at the time of partition, Punjab had wrongly included Hindi speaking village Kandu Khera by making it a Punjabi speaking village.  Punjab had made several big promises to the people of that village but today, media reports highlight that to date the people of this village did not get anything.

Khattar said that Haryana will definitely get its legitimate share of SYL water. A battle is being fought in the Supreme Court regarding this.  Soon an execution order will be taken from the Supreme Court on the SYL issue so that the responsibility of building the canal goes to the Centre, Punjab, or any other institution.  He said that the right of Haryana to share waters of the Ravi and Beas rivers by the construction of the Satluj Yamuna Link Canal (SYL) is historically, legally, judicially and constitutionally established over time.  

The House has unanimously on at least seven occasions passed resolutions urging the early completion of the SYL canal. Several agreements, accords, Tribunal findings and judgments of the highest judiciary of the nation have all singularly upheld the claim of Haryana to the waters and directed the completion of the SYL canal. In 2002, the Supreme Court had ruled that Haryana should get SYL water and now the execution of this judgment is awaited.
 

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