Barely hours after the Chief Ministers of Punjab and Haryana met in Chandigarh—under the Supreme Court of India’s directions—on the SYL canal issue, I sat down with Baljit Balli, veteran journalist and Editor-in-Chief, Babushahi Media, for a wide-ranging conversation recorded in Punjabi.
The interview frames the SYL dispute in plain terms and then moves through the key fault-lines that continue to shape Punjab’s water future—legal, constitutional, technical, and political. The questions discussed include:
How Punjab’s canal irrigation has declined over time, and what that means on the ground
What the Rajiv–Longowal Accord promised on SYL and Ravi–Beas waters—and what followed
Haryana’s legal strategy, and the Supreme Court’s major milestones (including 2002 and the 2016 Constitution Bench opinion)
The Punjab Termination of Agreements Act, 2004, and its consequences
The unresolved tribunal/award issues around Ravi–Beas allocations
The deeper question of “double standards” and asymmetry in successor-state water rights—Ravi–Beas vis-à-vis Yamuna
Practical next steps: what a fair, workable roadmap could look like for Punjab, Haryana, and the national interest
If you care about Punjab and its water security, I encourage you to watch—and share it with others who may find it useful.