NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court pulled up the Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB) for failing to discharge its duty with regard to distribution of river waters among beneficiary states. A Bench of Justice Madan B Lokur and Justice Deepak Gupta asked, “Why is the UYRB not doing its job? What is it doing? The board is supposed to do its job. We do not know why it does not want to do its job? Why should we do its job?” It posted the matter for further hearing on May 16, directing the UYRB to give its suggestions or take a decision on water-sharing between Haryana and Delhi by May 14.
Haryana counsel said the state was supplying water to Delhi and would not alter status quo. He said there was clear-cut allocation of water and Haryana was supplying water more than what was stipulated to Delhi. The UYRB was set up by the Centre in 1995, and had been assigned the task of regulating supply of water from all storages and barrages till the Okhla barrage in Delhi in accordance with agreements between Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Delhi.
Meanwhile, workers of the INLD and BJP courted arrest as part of their 'jail bharo' agitation. They demanded early completion of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link canal. Leader of Opposition Abhay Singh Chautala addressed a rally before courting arrest. He criticised BJP governments at the Centre and states for failing to follow SC directions on the issue. He targeted Haryana's Manohar Lal Khattar government for shelving the Dadupur-Nalvi canal project, which would have irrigated land and recharged the water table in Yamunanagar, Ambala and Kurukshetra.
