Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday raised concerns over the ongoing water-sharing dispute with Haryana and criticised what he termed the Centre’s "biased" treatment towards Punjab. Speaking at the 10th Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog in Delhi, Mann strongly objected to the deployment of CISF personnel at the Bhakra Nangal dams.
He described the Centre's treatment as "discriminatory," "unwarranted," and "undesirable," particularly highlighting the issue of Punjab’s rights over its water resources.
The long-standing conflict between Punjab and Haryana over the allocation of river water remains unresolved. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab has refused to share additional water from the Bhakra dam, asserting that Haryana has already received its rightful share.
According to a statement, Mann emphasised that Punjab has no surplus water to share with any state and urged the construction of the Yamuna-Sutlej-Link (YSL) canal instead of the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal to address the "grim" situation. He added that the Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej rivers are already facing deficits, and water should be redirected from surplus to deficit basins.
Mann stated that Punjab has repeatedly sought inclusion in negotiations regarding the allocation of Yamuna’s water under the Yamuna-Sutlej-Link project—a pact signed between the former Punjab and Uttar Pradesh on March 12, 1954, which granted Punjab two-thirds of the Yamuna’s water.
He noted that the agreement did not specify the area to be irrigated by the Yamuna and added that, prior to the reorganisation, the Yamuna, like the Ravi and Beas, flowed through Punjab.
He lamented that while dividing river water between Punjab and Haryana, the Yamuna was overlooked, even though the waters of the Ravi and Beas were accounted for.
Referring to a 1972 report by the centrally constituted Irrigation Commission, Mann noted that it identified Punjab (post-1966 reorganization) as part of the Yamuna River Basin. Therefore, if Haryana has rights to the waters of the Ravi and Beas, Punjab should have an equal claim to the Yamuna’s water. He added that these requests have been ignored, and due to the absence of a storage structure on the Yamuna, much water is being wasted.
The Chief Minister also accused the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) of adopting a "biased" approach in the matter.
Mann asserted that Punjab had been generous in sharing water with neighbouring states to fulfill their drinking and other needs, even as the state depended heavily on its groundwater reserves, especially for paddy irrigation.
This over-reliance has significantly depleted Punjab’s groundwater levels, with 115 out of 153 blocks (76.10%) classified as over-exploited—the highest among all states, he noted. He added that despite upgraded canal infrastructure, Punjab is now facing a water shortage, and its river water share is insufficient to meet the state’s demands.
He accused the BBMB of ignoring repeated requests to regulate water releases to Haryana, leading to Haryana exhausting 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 condemned this move as being against the spirit and provisions of the law, urging that BBMB be instructed to act within legal boundaries and exercise restraint.
He also informed the house that Punjab had repeatedly urged the BBMB to exercise financial prudence in its operations, but these requests were ignored, prompting him to call for stricter oversight of the board. Mann claimed that Punjab’s officers within the BBMB were being marginalised and sidelined, and he urged the board to adopt a transparent and impartial approach in its dealings with both states.
Regarding the deployment of CISF personnel at the Bhakra Nangal dams, Mann stated that the security of the dams has traditionally been the responsibility of the states since their construction. He described the Ministry of Power’s decision to deploy CISF as unnecessary, warning that it disrupts an established operational framework and further undermines Punjab’s rights concerning the dams.
Mann requested that the deployment be called off.
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