Chandigarh, May 1: Amid escalating tensions between Punjab and Haryana over sharing of water, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday asserted that his government will not allow the release of more water to the neighbouring state, claiming it has already utilised its share.
He also hit out at the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) for its decision to release 8,500 cusecs of water to Haryana and said “robbery” of Punjab’s rights will not be tolerated, and the board has no right to “dictate” to his state.
The ruling AAP has called an all-party meeting over the water-sharing issue on Friday and a special Vidhan Sabha session on Monday.
Mann visited the Nangal dam in Rupnagar district, where his minister Harjot Singh Bains, along with party workers, staged a ‘dharna’ in protest against the BBMB’s decision of giving water to Haryana. Bains said they have taken “control” over the Nangal dam, and the room from where the water supply is regulated has been locked, and its key given to police.
Punjab Police also beefed up security at the Nangal dam, which is situated downstream of Bhakra dam, in Rupnagar district as part of security review arrangements.
A fresh row has erupted over the issue of water sharing between Punjab and Haryana, with the AAP government in the border state refusing to release more water to the BJP-ruled Haryana.
The BBMB’s decision to release water to Haryana on Wednesday came despite the Punjab government’s strong objection, as it claimed that the neighbouring state has already utilised 103 per cent of its allocated share of water.
Addressing the media at the Nangal dam on Thursday, Mann described the water sharing dispute as a very serious issue and said his state was already facing a water crisis.
He also claimed that the water level in Bhakra, Pong and Ranjit Sagar dams was at present less than what it was during the corresponding period of last year. (PTI)
