Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], May 5 (ANI): Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has accused Haryana of mismanaging its water allocation from the Bhakra Dam, amidst the ongoing water-sharing dispute between the two states.
Mann, in a statement, said, “As per the data, they (Haryana) used up their share by 31st March. Still, we are providing them with drinking water. They will receive water on the night of 20th May. For 15 days, they will have to suffer the consequences of their mistake. We had written six letters to them. There used to be a meeting every month, and we used to write to them every month that their water share would finish this time…Still, they paid no heed…Punjab repealed the Dam Safety Act.”
Criticising the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), Mann added, “BBMB’s conduct is dictatorial, this has been strongly opposed…It has been pointed out that BBMB has become a ‘white elephant’, Punjab bears the expenses, but Punjab is bypassed, and decisions are passed. They call meetings at 3-4 hours’ notice. But Emergency Meetings also require a week’s notice…They don’t even give 6-7 hours. So, BBMB should be reconstituted…”
Earlier in the day, Punjab Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal on Monday moved a resolution in the Punjab Legislative Assembly during a special session, vehemently opposing the Bhakra Beas Management Board’s (BBMB) decision to release an additional 8,500 cusecs of water to Haryana.
Declaring that “not a single drop of extra water” will be spared, Goyal accused the BBMB of acting as a “puppet of the BJP” and conspiring to undermine Punjab’s water rights through illegal and unconstitutional means.
Goyal outlined key points in the resolution, asserting that Punjab had provided 4,000 cusecs of water to Haryana on humanitarian grounds but would not release any additional water from its share.
He labelled the BBMB’s late-night meeting on April 30 as “illegal” and a deliberate attempt to divert Punjab’s rightful water to Haryana.
“The 1981 water-sharing treaty is outdated due to reduced water availability. A new treaty is needed,” Goyal stated.
The minister further criticised the Dam Safety Act, 2021, claiming it endangers state rights by centralising control over Punjab’s rivers.
“The Central government wants direct control. This occupation of Punjab’s rivers will not be tolerated,” he said, alleging a “conspiracy” involving the BJP, Haryana, and BBMB to “snatch Punjab’s rights.”
Goyal noted that Haryana had already consumed its allocated water share by March 31, terming its demand for 8,500 cusecs a “robbery of Punjab’s land”. (ANI)
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