Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Saini and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann during a meeting on the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue, in Chandigarh on Tuesday, January 27, 2026.
| Photo Credit: ANI
The meeting between the Chief Ministers of Punjab and Haryana on the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal, the centre of a decades-long water-sharing dispute between the two States, ended without resolution on Tuesday (January 27, 2026), even as both neighbours agreed to continue discussions on the sensitive issue.
After the meeting, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann jointly addressed the media, stating that the meeting was held in a very positive and cordial atmosphere.
Mr. Saini said that, with mutual consent, both States had decided to hold meetings at the level of irrigation department officers for further detailed discussions on issues related to the SYL, so that practical and lasting solutions could be worked out. “The meetings are being held continuously in accordance with the directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court, and today’s meeting was also organised in that spirit,” he said.
Mr. Mann said, “We have no water to share with any other state, but as the elder brother of Haryana, we do not want to draw daggers with our neighbouring state and seek early resolution of this long-pending issue.”
He said, “Punjab is the elder brother, and both states are here to find an amicable solution to this controversial issue,” adding that “both the Supreme Court and the Government of India want a mutually accepted solution, and it is a good thing that both states have joined hands to resolve the issue and end confrontation.”
Mr. Mann, however, added, “Punjab has no surplus water to share with any other state. Not even a single drop of Punjab’s rightful water can be allowed to be taken away. The SYL canal is an emotive issue and the State will face serious law and order problems if it is imposed. Land for the SYL canal is not available in Punjab as of today.”
The SYL canal, the foundation for which was laid in 1982, was intended to link the Sutlej and Yamuna rivers in Punjab and Haryana. However, the project never took off, as water sharing became a sensitive issue in the 1990s. During this period, amid the rise of terrorism, officials and workers involved in the construction of the SYL canal were targeted in a bid to halt the project.
Published – January 27, 2026 08:44 pm IST
