With chief secretary-level talks between four states failing to break the deadlock over water-sharing from the Bhakra dam, the Haryana government has decided to approach the Supreme Court.
The move comes in re-sponse to the Punjab government reportedly slash-ing Haryana’s share of
9,000 cusecs to just 4,000 cusecs, further intensifying the dispute between the two neighbouring states.
Haryana’s Irrigation Minister Shruti Choudhry saidthe state government would approach the Supreme Court regarding its demand for water. A team of legal experts held deliberations throughout the day on Fri-day to challenge the Punjab government’s action. The Supreme Court’s verdict on the SYL (Sutlej-Yamuna Link) issue will also be cited as a basis in the Bhakra case, she added.
“The act of Punjab with-holding Haryana’s legitimate share of water from Bhakra Dam is unprecedented. This water belongs to BBMB (Bhakra Beas Management Board), not Punjab, which allocates water based on the needs of the concerned states. This process has been followed for years. We will present all the facts before the Supreme Court,” Choudhry said, adding that the Haryana government will soon file a petition in the Supreme Court to claim our rightful share of water.
“We must receive our due share. The same arrangement that existed every year still continues, so why is the Punjab government creating such drama now?”, she added. On the other hand the
Haryana chief minister Nayab Saini has called an all- party meeting on Sat- urday over the issue to find out collective decision. Reacting over the decision of all party meetings in Punjab not to increase the flow of water, Haryana chief minister has condemned the Punjab Leaders for politicizing the water issue and advised Punjab’s leaders not to indulge in petty politics.
“Punjab is the land of the Gurus, and we bow to them. Work for the welfare of Punjab’s people. Haryana was once a part of Punjab and emerged from there. Such low-level politics is not good for anyone”, he added.
“As the head of Haryana, I assure that if the people of Punjab ever need drinking water, we will install tube- wells, extract water from our groundwater, and provide it to them. I guarantee that no person in Punjab will remain thirsty”, the Chief Minister said, adding that Haryana is only asking for the water it has always received.
Water is a natural re source. If politics continues like this, the water will go waste and flow into Pakistan, which has been shedding the blood of our unarmed citizens, he said. The Chief Minister reiterated that Haryana is only asking for the share of water it used to receive earlier, not more than that. “We are also seeking the same SYL water as per the agreement. The Supreme Court has ruled that this is our right, he said. Earlier on Friday the Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan convened an emergency meeting of the Chief Secretaries of Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) partner states including Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. But the talks failed to find a solution with the Punjab government has made it clear that it does not have spare water to increase the ongoing flow of 4000 cusecs. Chaudhary, has strongly refuted the Punjab Chief Minister’s recent statements regarding water distribution, calling them “completely baseless and politically motivated.” She said that the Bhakra-Beas waters belong to the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), not to Punjab. “The Punjab Chief Minister’s claim that Haryana has utilized 103 percent of its allocated water is false. Such misinformation appears to be politically driven, possibly due to their recent electoral defeat in Delhi,” she said.
