Be pro-active, fix Sutlej-Yamuna Link row, Centre told | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI : As the dispute between Punjab and Haryana over the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal project has been lingering for decades with no sight of resolution, the Supreme Court on Thursday appealed to both states not to be rigid and adopt a ‘give-and-take’ approach to resolve the issue and come out with a solution.
A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Aravind Kumar also appealed to the Centre to be pro-active and play the role of a mediator in resolving the dispute between the two neighbouring states. It said the Centre is the final arbiter in matters relating to inter-state water disputes and the government should not be amute spectator.
“We expect the states to sit together to find a way forward. We call upon the states to hold meetings more frequently and at the level of the highest political dispensation so that there is some progress in the discussion,” the bench said. “The Centre is the final arbiter in such a dispute. Why do not you play a more active role and not remain a mute spectator. These are very complex issues,” the bench told attorney general K Venkataramani and posted the case for hearing in October.