Punjab flags water dispute with Haryana; 'biased' BBMB, CISF deployment at Niti Aayog meeting

Chandigarh, May 24 (PTI) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday flagged the water sharing dispute with Haryana and a "biased" approach against the border state, as he denounced the Centre over the deployment of the CISF at the Bhakra Nangal dams.

"Discriminatory" and "unwarranted and undesirable" were the words he used for the Centre's treatment of Punjab at the meeting of the 10th governing council of the Niti Aayog in Delhi.

Punjab and Haryana have been at loggerheads over the distribution of water with the AAP government refusing to share water from Bhakra dam, saying the neighbouring state has already used its share of water.

According to a statement, Mann asserted that Punjab had no surplus water to give to any state, and called for the construction of the Yamuna-Sutlej-Link (YSL) canal over the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal to allay the "grim" situation.

Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej rivers are already in deficit and water should be diverted from surplus to deficit basins, he said.

Mann said Punjab has repeatedly requested to be included in negotiations for the allocation of Yamuna's water as a pact under the Yamuna-Sutlej-Link project – signed between the erstwhile Punjab and Uttar Pradesh on March 12, 1954, which had entitled Punjab to two-thirds of the Yamuna's water.

The agreement did not specify the area to be irrigated by Yamuna, he said, adding that before the re-organisation, the Yamuna, like the Ravi and Beas flowed through Punjab.

He bemoaned that while apportioning the river water between Punjab and Haryana, the Yamuna was not considered, whereas the water of Ravi and Beas were.

Citing a 1972 report by centrally-constituted Irrigation Commission, Mann said that it states that Punjab (post-1966, after its reorganisation) falls in the Yamuna River Basin, and therefore, if Haryana has a claim over the water of Ravi and Beas rivers, Punjab should also have an equal claim on Yamuna's water.

These requests have been ignored and because of the lack of a storage structure on Yamuna, water is going to waste, he said.

The chief minister also alleged a "biased" approach of Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) in the matter.

Mann claimed Punjab had been very liberal in sharing water with the partner states to meet their drinking water and other needs, even as the state relied upon its groundwater reserves to meet its demands, particularly to irrigate the paddy.

As a result, the groundwater level in the state has depleted to a great extent, so much so that 115 blocks out of its 153 blocks (76.10 per cent) are over-exploited, the highest among all states, Mann said.

He said that now with the upgraded canal structure, Punjab is running short of water and even its share from the rivers is not enough to meet its needs.

He alleged that the BBMB, despite repeated requests, did not advise other partner states to regulate the release of water to Haryana, and as a result, it exhausted its share by March 30.

He said that on humanitarian grounds, Punjab decided to release 4,000 cusecs of water to Haryana, however, BBMB ignored Punjab's interests and decided to release 8,500 cusecs of water to Haryana despite serious objections.

Mann termed the action against the spirit and provisions of the law and sought BBMB be advised to restrain itself and act within the law.

He also told the house that Punjab requested BBMB repeatedly to bring financial prudence in its operations, but to no avail, as he demanded stricter purse for the board.

He also claimed that the officers of Punjab in BBMB were being "marginalised and ignored" and sought that it be advised to adopt a transparent and neutral approach in its dealings with the two states.

On the deployment of CISF at the Bhakra Nangal dams, Mann said security of the dams has been the sole responsibility of the states since their construction.

He said the deployment by the Ministry of Power is an unnecessary step as there is no need to disturb a well-established operational setup as it further "degrades" the rights of Punjab with respect to these dams.

Mann requested that the deployment be called off. PTI CHS VN VN