Punjab, Haryana at loggerheads over the contentious issue of Satluj-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal

Punjab and Haryana have been at loggerheads over the contentious issue of Satluj-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal for over four decades now. The water-sharing dispute came to the forefront again after the Supreme Court last month asked the Centre to conduct a survey of the land meant for the SYL canal in Punjab.The issue became controversial in Punjab again, with both the ruling Aam Aadmi Party and main opposition parties – Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal and Bharatiya Janata Party – taking the stance that the state had no surplus water to share. After chief minister Bhagwant Mann and opposition leaders Partap Singh Bajwa, Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Sukhbir Singh Badal and Sunil Jakhar were involved in a slugfest on the issue last month, the CM challenged the opposition leaders to a debate on SYL canal and other issues facing the state. The team discusses the history of the contentious issue as the proposed debate did not take place on Wednesday, November 1.