Chandigarh/New Delhi, Sep 23 (IANS): The Supreme Court Friday dismissed the Punjab government's application seeking to restrain Haryana from undertaking the construction of a 3.8 km long wall on the left bank of Hansi-Butana canal along the Ghaggar river embankment.

Justices J.M. Panchal and H.L. Gokhale dismissed the petition after perusing the detailed pleadings by both states.

The dispute is over a 'toe-wall', described as a low wall constructed at the bottom of an embankment to prevent slippage or spreading of the soil.

The Haryana government had been maintaining that the toe-wall was needed to save agricultural land and several villages from seasonal flooding in the Ghaggar river.

Punjab has been objecting to the wall, saying its construction will lead to flooding in its area, particularly in Patiala. The Punjab government had filed a plea with the apex court in June this year, seeking its intervention and stopping Haryana from constructing the wall.

Both Punjab and Haryana have been involved in a bitter political war over water sharing in the last few years. Punjab has also objected to the construction of the Hansi-Butana canal by Haryana.

It refused to provide extra water to Haryana for this canal which is supposed to carry water to parched areas in south Haryana.

Former chief minister and Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh blamed the Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state for its failure to protect Punjab's interests in the Supreme Court on the issue of construction of the concrete wall by Haryana.

"The state messed up the matter from Day 1 by adopting a wrong course apparently with an intent to exploit the issue for political gains," Amarinder Singh said.

With assembly polls scheduled in Punjab February-March next year, the issue is likely to generate political heat in the state after the Supreme Court order.