Patiala, Sept. 7 -- The Punjab government has objected to neighbouring Haryana's decision to open sluice gates of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal amid concerns raised by farmers in Patiala district about flooding caused by the swollen Tangri river. Punjab has faced its worst floods in nearly four decades due to swollen rivers, including the Sutlej, Beas and Ravi, caused by heavy rainfall in their catchment area in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. At least 51 people have been killed in various rain-related incidents across the state during the current monsoon season. Tangri is a tributary of the Ghaggar river, which recently inundated the Ghanaur block of Patiala after it breached an embankment in the Bhakra Main Line Canal (Narwana branch). The canal is a major waterway for distributing Sutlej river water, and the Narwana branch supplies water to several districts of Haryana, including Kaithal, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad and Sirsa. Farmers in Dudhan Sadhan block raised complaints about the SYL Canal being opened at the Jansui headworks in Ambala district. The farmers from Punjab entered into a scuffle with Haryana Police when they held a protest demanding that the sluice gates be shut down on Thursday night. According to the bulletin released by the drainage department at 8pm on Friday, the water level in the Tangri was 14ft. But, at 6am on Saturday, the level rose to 16.7ft -- 4.7ft above the danger level of 12ft -- after water was released from the sluice gates at Jansui headworks overnight. "We have requested the Haryana government through the Patiala deputy commissioner that sluice gates should be opened only if there is a threat to the population on their side," Dudhan Sadhan sub-divisional magistrate Kirpal veer Singh. "If there is a need to open the gates, it should be done in a staggered manner." Locals have called for the sluice gates to be shut as the water release risks flooding agricultural fields in the region. "I appeal to the Punjab and Haryana chief ministers to keep the gates of the SYL Canal at the Jansui head shut," Pargat Singh, the sarpanch of Ratta Khera village, said. "If the gates are opened, the Tangri will overflow and our fields will get submerged. We strongly protest the opening of the SYL gates by the Haryana government during the night." At present, the Tangri is flowing above 16ft and the Patiala district administration has sounded a flood alert in the area. Officials aware of the details said the Haryana government diverted the water of Bhakra Main Canal (Narwana branch) to the SYL Canal after the former's water levels increased. This was caused by water from the Ghaggar river flowing into the Bhakra Main Canal after its embankment in Patiala was breached on September 4. "When we flagged the issue with the Haryana government, they reduced the release of water from the SYL Canal through the Jansui head. We have already raised our concerns," a senior Punjab IAS officer said, requesting anonymity. Ambala deputy commissioner Ajay Singh Tomar did not respond to repeated calls and messages. For decades, Punjab and Haryana have been at loggerheads over the construction of the SYL canal. The water dispute between the two states reached the Supreme Court in 1996 when Haryana filed a suit against Punjab. The court order of January 15, 2002, ruled in favour of Haryana and directed Punjab to construct the SYL canal within a year. But, the issue has remained unresolved. The top court has attempted to get both states to the talking table by roping in the Centre. Upset over the failed attempts to resolve the issue, it had even advised both sides to adopt a "give and take" approach to end the logjam....