Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) on Monday urged the Union government for early completion of the Satluj-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal according to the directions of the Supreme Court (SC) to the Centre.
A delegation led by Leader of the Opposition, Abhay Singh Chautala, met the Union water resources minister, Nitin Gadkari, also requested him to urge the BJP government in Haryana to follow the SC directive regarding compensation to the farmers whose land is to be acquired for the Dadupur-Nalvi canal and continue with the project.
The INLD delegation impressed upon the Union Minister that even though the primary objective of both, SYL canal and Dadupur-Nalvi canal is irrigation yet the second objective of recharging ground water was equally important since it has long term impact on the society as a whole.
The SC has accepted that SYL canal is the life-line of the State, he said, and the country suffers huge annual loss in agricultural production when the State is deprived of its legitimate share of river waters. But apart from this, the demographic pressures of the past few decades have also thrown up new challenges that need to be urgently addressed, the INLD said.
Chautala said the ground water in the state is fast depleting. As it is south Haryana has already become ‘dark zone’ and a worried SC has put restrictions on construction. North Haryana, the Basmati bowl of the state that exports Basmati worth crores of rupees annually, too has slipped in ‘critical’ zone.