Farmers in Patiala district are concerned that the government may use the Army to handle protests if the dispute over the SYL canal between Punjab and Haryana escalates. The farmers want the canal to become functional so that they can irrigate their own fields. The canal project was returned to the farmers in 2016, but no progress has been made in terms of leveling the land or completing the canal. The farmers argue that the canal should benefit both Punjab and Haryana, as Haryana was originally a part of Punjab.