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Yesterday’s complete developments on the BBMB issue, Union Home Secretary orders release of 4500 cusecs of water.
Yesterday’s complete developments on the BBMB issue, The dispute between Punjab and Haryana over the sharing of water dates to 1966, when the erstwhile Punjab state was bifurcated to form Haryana. Since then, it has roiled the region and defied numerous attempts to reconcile the demands of both states – Rajasthan and Delhi also have a stake in the dispute.
This time, with farmers preparing for the kharif (summer) paddy crop, tempers are rising. Haryana has demanded 8,500 cusecs of water, which it claims is its share of Beas-Sutlej flow, from the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), a central body with representatives from states that monitor water availability and its release. Punjab has opposed Haryana’s demand on the ground that the latter has already utilised its share.
Yesterday’s Complete Developments During two-hour meeting, the Congress, BJP, AAP, SAD, BSP, CPI and CPI(M) backed the Bhagwant Mann-led state government to decide the next course of action to “protect” the interests of Punjab after the recent BBMB decision.
All major political parties of Punjab on Friday signaled political unity on the ongoing water sharing row stoked by the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), taking a unanimous stand that any attempt to forcibly give extra water to Haryana will be opposed.
The representatives of seven recognised political parties, who assembled in Chandigarh for an all-party meeting convened by chief minister Bhagwant Mann amid escalation tension between the two states, took a united stand that Punjab does not have any water to spare and not a single drop of additional water will be given to Haryana from the Bhakra Dam.
All leaders also addressed a joint press conference after the meeting where Mann said that the decision to release water to Haryana was being thrust on Punjab, but all parties are together on the issue of safeguarding the state’s waters.
During the meeting that lasted nearly two hours, all parties, which included the Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party, Aam Aadmi Party, Shiromani Akali Dal, Bahujan Samaj Party, Communist Party of India and CPI(M), gave their suggestions and backed the state government to decide the next course of action to “protect” the interests of Punjab in this regard.
Blown Out Of Proportion: Jakhar
While the state government has convened a special session of the Punjab assembly on May 5 to discuss and pass a resolution on the water issue, it was suggested in the meeting that an all-party delegation could meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the current standoff.
Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar, who attended the meeting with former minister Manorajan Kalia, suggested that the representatives should meet the PM or Union home minister Amit Shah and seek their intervention to resolve this matter through negotiation.
“This was a routine matter which could have been sorted out through talks. I have record for 23 years, which shows that states have been overdrawing water during the water depletion period. These decisions were taken through discussions. Isko rai ka pahad bana diya,” Jakhar later told reporters, suggesting that the matter was blown out of proportions through improper handling.
He criticised the manner in which the BBMB transferred officials and locks were put up at headworks, stating this is the wrong way of dealing with serious matters in a democracy.
PM After Special Session: AAP Maan & Punjab AAP president Aman Arora said that they would seek time from the Prime Minister for a meeting after the special assembly session.“There was consensus that any attempt to give water to Haryana will be opposed tooth and nail. Jakhar has been requested to get us time from the PM,” Arora said.
SAD Leader Daljit Singh Cheema, who attended the meeting along with senior party colleague Balwinder Singh Bhunder, said that all issues related to Punjab’s rights, including river waters, transfer of Chandigarh, criteria for the appointment of BBMB chairman, the Dam Safety Act, BSF jurisdiction up to 50 km inside the international borders, etc. should be taken up with the Prime Minister.
“The BBMB’s attempt to release water to Haryana by ignoring Punjab’s objections is an attack on federalism. We have given our suggestions. The chief minister will decide the next course of action,” he said.
High Drama At Nangal On Thursday On Thursday, Mann hit out at the BBMB for its decision to release 8,500 cusecs of water to Haryana, saying such “robbery” of Punjab’s rights will not be tolerated and that the board has no right to dictate matters related to his state.
He asserted that the AAP government would not allow the release of more water to the neighbouring state, claiming it has already utilised its share.
He visited the Nangal dam in Rupnagar district, where AAP minister Harjot Singh Bains and party workers staged a dharna in protest against the BBMB’s decision of giving water to Haryana.
Punjab Police beefed up security at the Nangal dam, situated downstream of Bhakra dam in Rupnagar district, as part of security review arrangements
Minister Harjot Singh 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 the police.
The controversy erupted after the BBMB meet on Wednesday 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 came despite the Punjab government’s strong objection, as it claimed that the neighbouring state has already utilised 103% of its allocated share of water.
The Centre Government’s on Friday directed the Punjab government to implement the Bhakra Beas Management Board’s (BBMB) decision to release an additional 4,500 cusecs of water from the Bhakra dam to Haryana in the next eight days to meet the urgent water needs of the state.
This was announced after a meeting held under the chairmanship of Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan in Delhi to discuss the implementation of the BBMB decision.
It was also agreed that during the filling period of dams, the BBMB will provide excess water to Punjab to fulfill their additional requirements.
The BBMB will immediately convene a meeting of the board to work out the modalities of implementing the release of extra water to Haryana.
The meeting was attended by senior officials of the Union government, the BBMB partner states — Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan — and the BBMB.
The meeting was necessitated after Punjab had consistently refused to release water to Haryana, prompting the Centre’s intervention.
Union home secretary Govind Mohan on Friday chaired a high-level meeting and advised to carry out the Bhakra Beas Management Board’s decision to release 4,500 cusecs of extra water from Bhakra dams to Haryana for the next eight days to meet the state’s urgent water requirements.
It was also agreed that during the filling period of the dams, the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) will provide this excess water to Punjab to fulfil any additional requirements of the state, an official release said.
The meeting was convened to discuss the issue of implementing BBMB’s decision to release extra 4,500 cusecs of water to Haryana for eight days to meet the urgent water needs of the state and some parts of Rajasthan.
Senior officials of the central government, the partner states of BBMB — Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana — and representatives from the BBMB attended the meeting.
“The matter was discussed/deliberated and it was advised to carry out the decision of the BBMB to release 4,500 cusecs of extra water from the Bhakra dams to Haryana for the next eight days to meet their urgent water requirements. It was also agreed that during the filling period of the dams, the BBMB will provide this excess water to Punjab to fulfil their any additional requirements,” the release said.
The BBMB will immediately convene a meeting of its board to work out the modalities for the release of extra water to Haryana, it said.
Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan are partnering states that meet their water requirements from Bhakra and Pong dams managed by the BBMB.
The BBMB decides the annual quota of water supply to the three states for a yearly cycle from May 21 to May 21 each year.
A fresh row erupted over water sharing between the two neighboring states, with AAP-ruled Punjab refusing to release more water to BJP-ruled Haryana.
The Opposition leaders in Haryana alleged that Punjab capped the Bhakra water supply to Haryana at 4,000 cusecs, even as the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue has been a bone of contention between the two states for the past several years.
Amid escalating tensions between Punjab and Haryana over water sharing, an all-party meeting convened by the AAP government in Punjab on Friday saw parties putting up a united stand on the issue.
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While the Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government convened a special Vidhan Sabha session on Monday on the issue, it was mulled during the all-party meeting that the parties could meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the coming days.