Situation tense in Punjab, Haryana as SC passes Sutlej-Yamuna canal ruling

Passions ran high on Wednesday as Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) workers turned up at Haryana's border city of Ambala to dig up the Sutlej Yamuna Canal (SYL) canal. The protests come even though the Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that the SYL canal, which has long been a bone of contention between Punjab and Haryana, had to be constructed.

INLD party spokesman Parveen Atray told DNA, "Thousands of our supporters have already reached Ambala, where they have been camping for days and more will reach on Thursday morning. We are expecting at least over one lakh supporters to reach Ambala, when we start the march."

Joining the workers was INLD leader Om Prakash Chautala. The jailed leader, who is out on parole, has been urging workers to come out in numbers and dig up the canal in protest. This has invoked the ire of the Congress in Punjab who has demanded that his parole be cancelled.

The canal issue is an emotive one for both states and so it was not surprising to see over 5,000 police personnel guarding the Punjab-Haryana border near Ambala, in the run-up to the SC ruling in the national Capital.

But that is not enough for either Punjab or Haryana. Both state governments have demanded central forces and roped in police from adjoining districts. At least 10 companies of paramilitary forces have been requested by Punjab police and drones will be used to monitor the situation. While the state police man the posts, central forces will reach on Thursday morning, hours before the workers begin their protest march at 10 am. Section 144 has already been imposed in Patiala, Punjab.

Meanwhile, in the national Capital, a bench comprising Justices PC Ghose and Amitava Roy informed veteran advocate Ram Jethmalani — representing the Punjab government — that the two decrees and a reference passed by the court must be adhered to.

"The decree has to be executed and the canal will be built. Now the matter remains on how it will be done. Either Punjab and Haryana sit across the table with the Centre acting as an arbitrator or the court will step in and issue directions through an order," the bench said. "The matter has been pending since a long time, and we want it to come to an end," the court said on Wednesday.

In 2002, and 2004, the SC had issued two separate decrees that the SYL canal must be built and Punjab must share water with Haryana. Representing the Haryana government, senior advocate Shyam Divan submitted the decrees passed by the apex court to support his claim for water, while Jethmalani submitted that the volume of water in the river has decreased since the 1981 water agreement and hence it is non-executable.

The bench will hear why Punjab cannot part with water on March 2, denying Jethmalani's request to hold court after the elections.

Earlier in a reply submitted on Tuesday, Punjab maintained that according to the Punjab Termination of Water Agreement Act of 2004, which is still in force, discharges it of all responsibility to provide water to other states.

Solicitor General (ASG) Ranjith Kumar submitted that though the SC deemed the act as "unconstitutional" on November 10 last year, it was merely an opinion and the act was not officially struck down. In response, the bench said that this would be done through an order.

In the run-up to Thursday, tempers are also flaring up in the border villages in Punjab, where Sikh groups led by All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) have been camping to resist any attempt by INLD to enter the state. Sikh extremist groups, which include the Dal Khalsa, who are fiercely opposed to the SYL's construction, are also angry with the close ties Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President and Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal shares with Chautala. This has provoked further tensions in the state.

Punjab DGP Suresh Arora said the police was all prepared and would not allow anyone to violate the status quo of the Supreme Court. A battery of senior police officers has been regularly monitoring the situation since the last few days and parts of the border have been sealed to ensure that workers remain localized at one spot.

"We have made adequate security arrangements and are fully prepared to counter any law any law and order situation. We have already got seven companies from other districts," said IG Ambala Range, R C Mishra.