Patiala, Feb. 7 -- A delegation of the Ravi Beas Water Tribunal, led by its chairman Justice Vineet Saran, was forced to abort its visit to Lohand Khad near Kiratpur Sahib in Rupnagar district on Friday after farmers staged a protest against the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal project and blocked the Chandigarh-Una highway. The delegation, which was scheduled to inspect the halted construction of the SYL Canal following directions from the Supreme Court, could not reach the site due to the protest at Bunga Sahib. The farmers, led by the Kirti Kisan Union, staged a sit-in on the highway, leading to massive traffic disruption for several hours. Confirming the development, Rupnagar deputy commissioner Aaditya Dachalwal said the tribunal members, including former Supreme Court judges, were unable to conduct the inspection. "We will plan another visit after consultation with the tribunal," he said. The three-member Ravi Beas Water Tribunal was constituted in 1986 under the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act to adjudicate disputes over the sharing of surplus waters of the Ravi and Beas rivers among Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. Police and administration officials were deployed to manage the situation and divert traffic, while long queues of vehicles were seen on both sides of the highway. Farmers said their protest was aimed at opposing any assessment or recommendation linked to the SYL Canal, asserting that Punjab was already facing acute water scarcity. Kirti Kisan Union leaders said falling groundwater levels, rising farming costs and an uncertain canal water supply had put immense pressure on the state's agrarian economy. Union leader Bir Singh questioned the validity of the tribunal, stating that under international riparian principles, a tribunal can only be constituted when there is a dispute between riparian states. "This tribunal is not valid and any decision taken by it will also be invalid," he said. Rupnagar senior superintendent of police Maninder Singh said the tribunal members were taken to a guest house for safety and the visit was deferred. The protest was later called off after the cancellation of the inspection was confirmed....