The Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal dispute has come into focus ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s proposed visit to Jind on July 17. Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda has urged the PM to ensure a resolution on Haryana’s share of water before leaving the state.

“The Supreme Court has given its verdict on the SYL canal issue years ago, but the Centre has still not implemented it, and Haryana has not received its share of water,” said Hooda while interacting with mediapersons here on Sunday.

Responding to another question regarding the PM’s visit, the Congress leader said running a hydrogen train is a good initiative, but the BJP should also tell people who built the railway line on which the train would run. He said the railway line from Sonepat to Jind via Gohana was established during the Congress government.

Hooda, reiterating his views on the ongoing protest at Chanot village in Hansi, said the government had betrayed the villagers. “A T-joint pipeline was installed for the village in the presence of the administration by a government representative. However, it was later removed and declared illegal,” he claimed.

The former CM questioned why the administration was present at the spot during the installation if the pipeline was illegal and the decision to install it was not taken by the government. He asked why the officials remained silent spectators at that time.

“Providing water to Chanot village and Hansi city is the responsibility of the state government. It is unfortunate that villagers had to launch protests and sit on hunger strikes even for such a basic facility. The government should immediately hold talks with the villagers and resolve the issue,” he added.

Hooda claimed that the Congress government had made arrangements for water supply across the state and that no village or area had to resort to such protests at that time. Today, not only Chanot but several parts of Haryana are facing water shortages. Many colonies in Rohtak are also receiving contaminated water, causing people to suffer from illnesses, he alleged.

In reply to a question, the former CM said granting a parallel power distribution licence to a private company in Gurugram and Nuh is a harmful step towards privatisation. The Congress strongly opposes the move and demands that this anti-people decision be withdrawn, he added.