Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], May 5 (ANI): Punjab Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal on Monday moved a resolution in the Punjab Legislative Assembly during a special session, vehemently opposing the Bhakra Beas Management Board’s (BBMB) decision to release an additional 8,500 cusecs of water to Haryana.
Declaring that “not a single drop of extra water” will be spared, Goyal accused the BBMB of acting as a “puppet of the BJP” and conspiring to undermine Punjab’s water rights through illegal and unconstitutional means.
Goyal outlined key points in the resolution, asserting that Punjab had provided 4,000 cusecs of water to Haryana on humanitarian grounds but will not release any additional water from its share.
He labelled the BBMB’s late-night meeting on April 30 as “illegal” and a deliberate attempt to divert Punjab’s rightful water to Haryana.
“The 1981 water-sharing treaty is outdated due to reduced water availability. A new treaty is needed,” Goyal stated.
The minister further criticised the Dam Safety Act, 2021, claiming it endangers state rights by centralising control over Punjab’s rivers.
“The Central government wants direct control. This occupation of Punjab’s rivers will not be tolerated,” he said, alleging a “conspiracy” involving the BJP, Haryana, and BBMB to “snatch Punjab’s rights”.
Goyal noted that Haryana had already consumed its allocated water share by March 31, terming its demand for 8,500 cusecs a “robbery of Punjab’s land”.
Highlighting the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s achievements, Goyal said that under Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s leadership, canal water supply has been extended to 60 per cent of Punjab’s farmlands in the last few years, a development he claimed is a “thorn in BJP’s eyes”.
“The Punjab government has started giving canal water to farmers. Now about 60 per cent of Punjab farmers’ fields get canal water. Punjab has already given 4000 cusecs of water to Haryana even after its water limit was over. But Haryana is demanding more water than this. They called an illegal meeting of BBMB and gave more water to Haryana,” Goyal stated.
He praised Mann for personally visiting Nangal Dam to ensure Punjab’s water is protected, describing him as a “custodian of Punjab’s rights”.
Goyal revealed that Punjab has filed a legal case against the BBMB’s decision, emphasising that the state has historically sacrificed its land and water to feed the nation. He pointed out that 80 per cent of Punjab’s entitled water is allocated to non-riparian states, and during past floods, Haryana and Rajasthan refused to accept excess water offered by Punjab.
“Punjab fed the country by sacrificing its land and water. But today our water is being looted… 80 per cent of the water that Punjab is entitled to goes to non-riparian states. When the rivers flooded last time and we wanted to give water to Rajasthan and Haryana, they refused to take the water. To deal with floods, we are taking that water from other states,” he stated.
The resolution during the special session follows an all-party meeting on May 2, under Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, amid escalating concerns over the state’s water rights.
During the meeting, all the parties showed solidarity against the Bhakra Beas Management Board’s (BBMB) decision to release an additional 8,500 cusecs of water to Haryana and noted that the Punjabis had the right to every drop of Punjab water and no one would be allowed to take it away. (ANI)
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