CHANDIGARH: With the beginning of the new water-sharing cycle, the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) on Wednesday released water from the Bhakra-Nangal dam to Haryana. Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann said the state government will flag the issue of reconstitution of BBMB in the Niti Aayog meeting slated for Saturday.
The ruling AAP, which generally preferred to stay away from the matters related to water and religion while in power in Delhi, has now given in to the idea of increased political mileage that comes with participating in these issues. The party is trying to accord itself and CM Mann the title 'Saviour of Punjab's waters' for having 'succeeded' in ensuring that additional 4500 cusecs of water sought by Haryana from the Nangal dam was not released.
Punjab CM Mann, while addressing the 'victory rally' here on Wednesday said that Punjab is a landlocked border state which has already over-exploited its only available natural resources -- water and fertile soil -- to feed the country.
He said that as the level of water is changing frequently, every water agreement should be reviewed once every 25 years.
He then stated that the manner in which BBMB has allowed for the state's legitimate share of waters to be taken away is unfortunate and highly condemnable.
Mann said that, in an unprecedented manner, the Chairman of BBMB himself came to Nangal to 'steal' the waters of the state. He added that the BBMB acted as a puppet in the hands of the Centre and Haryana governments, but the people of Punjab saw through the facade.
He said that this same BBMB had taken Rs 32 crore from Punjab for important projects, adding that this money was never returned. He noted that BBMB owes the state Rs 142 crore to be precise and said that the government will soon initiate proceedings for the recovery of this money.
Mann said that 3000 posts of Punjab’s quota have been left vacant deliberately by BBMB to weaken the state's claim over the waters. He said that Punjab no longer has any surplus water to give to any other state.
Mann said that on April 6, Haryana requested water from Punjab for drinking purposes and the state gave 4,000 cusecs of water from its share, "as our Gurus have taught us that giving water to the thirsty is a great act of virtue."
Meanwhile, the BBMB stipulated that Punjab would get 17,000 cusecs of water, Rajasthan 12,400 cusecs and Haryana 10,300 cusecs in the new cycle of water-sharing that began on Wednesday, during a meeting held on May 15.