- By Abhishek Sheoran
- Mon, 05 May 2025 04:01 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The long-standing dispute over water distribution between Haryana and Punjab has now reached the court. The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) on Monday filed a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, alleging that the Punjab government was unlawfully interfering with the Board’s operations.
The BBMB’s petition claims that the deployment of Punjab Police personnel at the Bhakra Nangal Dam was illegal, seeking their removal by the court.
The High Court is expected to hear the matter today.
Punjab Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal has moved a resolution in the state legislative assembly during a special session, ardently opposing the BBMB decision to release an additional 8,500 cusecs of water to Haryana.
He said that Punjab had no extra water and the board was working at the behest of the BJP to ‘undermine’ the state’s water rights.
Senior Congress leader and LoP in the state assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa, assures his full support to the government on the issue, strongly arguing that there was no surplus water with Punjab to spare for Haryana.
“Punjab’s water is not a political issue—it’s a matter of survival. I’ve assured full support to the AAP govt in safeguarding our lifeline. Time to scrap BBMB Act, Reorganisation Act clauses & Dam Safety Act. Desertification is real. Punjab must unite,” Bajwa posted on X.
Punjab Police has taken control of the regulator gates at the Bhakra Nangal dam and stationed its personnel there, despite a directive from the Union Home Secretary asking the state government to pull back its forces. In response, the chairman of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) has reportedly written to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), requesting deployment of CISF personnel to secure the dam.
