Chandigarh: Even as the Bhakra-Beas Management Board (BBMB) on Wednesday released water to Haryana from Bhakra-Nangal Dam, the workers of the Punjab’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ended their month-long dharna.
Addressing the party workers, chief minister Bhagwant Mann, who had also been frequenting the dam protest site since the beginning of AAP dharna so as to ensure that no water was released from the dam to Haryana despite BBMB’s decision, said that while the water has been released according to the new cycle, Haryana should use its share judiciously as Punjab does not have even a drop of additional water to spare.
Hailing the party workers for what Mann held, successfully preventing BBMB officials from releasing extra water to Haryana, Mann said that it was a victory for the people of Punjab.
He further held that the previous governments of Punjab did not fully utilise the state’s share, but now the AAP government will not share even a drop from its quota and use maximum water of its share.
It may be recalled that Haryana and Punjab have been at loggerheads since April 23, last over the issue of river water-sharing after BBMB decided to release more water to Haryana despite Mann’s strong objections to it.
The Punjab government refused to release extra water, claiming that Haryana had already exhausted 103% of its annual allocated share of water, while Haryana held Punjab indulged in “dirty politics” by twisting the facts.
It was following this conflict that the BBMB at its meeting on May 15, last, has now 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 which began on Wednesday.
For record, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan get their water share from Bhakra and Pong dams managed by BBMB which decides the annual quota for the trio states from May 21 to May 21, every year; the fresh row on the water sharing comes alongside the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue, which has already been brewing between Punjab and Haryana for the past several decades.
