As Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann declared that the state government will soon introduce a new draft Act for the management and control of Punjab’s dams, he asserted that Punjab will no longer accept the Dam Safety Act, 2021, imposed by the Centre. Speaking during the ongoing special session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Mann disclosed that the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) has now filed a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court — objecting to Punjab’s decision to depute state police at Nangal Dam, an infrastructure entirely located in Punjab.
Mann also directly questioned Leader of Opposition Congress Leader Partap Singh Bajwa, asking why Himachal Pradesh’s Congress leaders voted in favour of Haryana in BBMB, even when Punjab is the riparian state. “How can you claim to represent Punjab and stay silent when your own party votes against Punjab’s rights?” Mann asked. Before this, Cabinet Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond took the floor and delivered a hard-hitting address exposing the historical and ongoing theft of Punjab’s river waters, carried out through legal manipulation, central overreach, and betrayal by successive Congress governments.
“Let me remind the House — **1 cusec of water is worth ₹1.25 crore**. Think of how much money Punjab would have earned had its waters not been gifted away to non-riparian states like Rajasthan and Haryana. We have been bled dry under the pretext of national interest,” said Sond. He emphasized that Punjab is already grappling with a severe water crisis, with many blocks in the state classified as ‘dark zones’ due to depleting groundwater levels. Highlighting historical references and data, the Minister outlined how Punjab’s water resources have been systematically looted. He noted that during the 1980s, when Congress was in power both at the Centre and in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan states, the state government failed to defend Punjab’s water rights and instead bowed before the Centre.
Sond directly blamed Congress’s policies in the past for the current situation. He also reminded the House how, during the reorganization of Punjab, the Congress-led Central government betrayed the state by not granting it full control over its own capital. He cited the statement of Justice R.S. Narula, who had clearly said that Punjab’s demands, including that for Chandigarh, were completely justified.
Congress’s Amendments to Constitution: Legal Theft in the Name of Nation
Sond gave a detailed account of how then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi amended the Punjab Reorganisation Act of 1966, changing three key clauses:
Clause 78, originally dealing with water distribution as a State Subject, was turned into a Union Subject, taking Punjab’s consent out of the equation.
Clause 79, on river development, was similarly nationalised.
Clause 80, which governed Punjab’s control over river headworks, was also shifted from state to Union jurisdiction.
“No other state in India has had its resources snatched like this. Would Rajasthan allow its marble to be taken for free? Would Gujarat allow free oil? Why is only Punjab’s water — **worth crores per cusec** — handed over like charity?”
Timeline of Injustice: How Punjab was pushed aside by Congress
Sond methodically laid out the history of water appropriation, all backed by data:
1950: Under Congress CM and Union Minister Gulzarilal Nanda, Punjab’s rivers were manipulated. 12 km-long tunnels redirected the Ravi into the Beas and then into the Sutlej, all without local consultation.
1955: Construction of the Bikaner Canal allowed Rajasthan to begin receiving Punjab’s water — with zero payment.
1966: Haryana, a non-riparian state, was carved out of Punjab. Yet it too was allotted water — despite no legal or geographical claim.
1976: Creation of BBMB, under which Punjab lost actual control of its rivers to bureaucrats appointed by the Centre.
1981: PM Indira Gandhi forced all Congress Chief Ministers — of Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan — to sign a tripartite agreement handing over Punjab’s waters, again without consulting Punjab’s people.
The Numbers Don’t Lie: Punjab gets the least from Its own Rivers
According to latest data presented by Sond:
Punjab receives only 24.58%** of the water that originates from its own rivers.
Rajasthan takes 50.9%.
Haryana gets 20.38%.
Even Jammu & Kashmir receives 3.80%, and Delhi gets 1.16% — despite none of these regions being riparian with Punjab’s rivers.
“This is not federalism — this is economic colonisation. And Punjab is the colony,” said Sond. “We are left with empty canals and debt, while others build empires using our water.”
BBMB Now Suing Punjab for Managing Its Own Dam
Sond backed CM Mann’s revelation that BBMB has filed a petition against Punjab for deploying its own police at Nangal Dam, which is located entirely within the state. “What kind of federal structure is this,” he asked, “where a state is being sued for guarding its own infrastructure?”
₹8,000 Crore a year Just to extract water from below
With its surface water diverted, Punjab has been forced to rely on groundwater extraction — a process so expensive that the state spends ₹8,000 crore annually in subsidies just to keep farming alive. “Meanwhile, states receiving Punjab’s water get it for free — and build mega cities and industries on our loss. And every cusec costs ₹1.25 crore. This isn’t mismanagement. This is plunder.” Sond referenced the Shah Commission Report, which also affirmed Punjab’s rights over Bhakra Dam, Nangal Dam, their powerhouses, and canal systems. He noted that to feed the nation, Punjab has exhausted its groundwater, and warned that the current pace of water exploitation will soon push the state into an even deeper crisis.
Congress betrayed Punjab — Then, Now and Always: Sond
Sond didn’t spare the Congress either. He said those leaders who now claim to stand with Punjab were the very ones who signed its rights away. “They didn’t just surrender in Delhi. They surrendered Punjab’s future. Today they shout slogans but back then they amended laws, signed deals, and stayed silent while Punjab bled.” He ended with a challenge to both opposition and the Centre: “This Assembly isn’t going to sit idle anymore. We are not here to beg. We are here to demand what’s legally, morally, and historically ours.”
