Ropar, Feb 7: A technical visit by the Ravi-Beas Waters Tribunal to river infrastructure sites in Ropar was cancelled on Saturday as protests by farmer groups brought traffic to a standstill on several major roads.
The tribunal members aimed to inspect Lohand Khad, where water returns to the Sutlej river, to assess current ground realities and water utilization. However, the Kirti Kisan Union organized blockades, linking the visit to the long-standing Sutlej-Yamuna Link canal dispute. The administration eventually decided to call off the inspection to avoid a confrontation.
“The authorities have put off the visit citing law and order concerns after the roads were blocked by protesters,” a district official noted while addressing the media about the disruption.
The conflict over the Ravi-Beas waters involves decades of complex legal history, beginning with the 1955 allocation and the subsequent 1981 agreement. Under the existing framework, Punjab is allocated 4.22 MAF while Haryana is allotted 3.5 MAF. The SYL canal was designed to transport Haryana’s share, but construction has remained a point of contention for nearly fifty years.
Local leaders maintained that the hydrological landscape has changed significantly since the original agreements were signed. They argued that the water levels in Punjab’s rivers have depleted, making any further sharing impossible.
“This is not just a routine visit for us; it is a matter of survival for the farmers of Punjab. We have consistently said that the ground reality does not support the old allocation figures,” a local farm leader directly said.
The tribunal continues to function under the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, seeking to clarify objections raised by Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan. While Haryana continues to seek its allocated share through legal channels, the latest standoff in Ropar demonstrates that the SYL canal remains a volatile issue among the public.
