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Hindustan Times
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Punjab should get Yamuna water too: CM Bhagwant Mann at Niti Aayog meet
Chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday flagged the water-sharing dispute with Haryana and a 'biased' approach against the border state, as he denounced the Centre over the deployment of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) at the Nangal dam and sought its immediate removal. Raising concerns over the Union government's treatment of Punjab at the 10th governing council meeting of the NITI Aayog, Mann said that 'discriminatory' actions against the state are 'unjustified'. In a statement, Mann said Punjab had no surplus water to give to any state and called for the construction of the Yamuna-Sutlej-Link (YSL) Canal instead of the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal to allay the 'grim' situation. 'Instead of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal, a Yamuna-Sutlej Link (YSL) Canal should be mooted. Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej rivers are already water-deficient. There is a need to divert water from surplus to deficit basins,' the CM said. Also Read | BBMB releases water to Haryana, Punjab CM advises judicious use Punjab and Haryana have been at loggerheads over the distribution of water with the AAP government refusing to share additional water from the Bhakra dam. Mann argued that if Haryana claims water from the Ravi and Beas, Punjab has an equal right to Yamuna waters, and must be included in future negotiations, citing a pact under the Yamuna-Sutlej-Link project signed between the erstwhile Punjab and Uttar Pradesh on March 12, 1954, which had entitled the state to two-thirds of the Yamuna's water. He said that now, with the upgraded canal structure, Punjab is running short of water and even its share from the rivers is not enough to meet its needs. Also Read | Mann opposes Centre's move to deploy CISF at Nangal dam The CM claimed Punjab had been very liberal in sharing water with the partner states to meet their drinking water and other needs, even as the state relied upon its groundwater reserves to meet its demands, particularly to irrigate the paddy. As a result, the groundwater level in the state has depleted to a great extent, so much so that 115 blocks out of its 153 blocks (76.10%) are over-exploited, the highest among all states, Mann said. The CM alleged that the BBMB, despite repeated requests, did not advise other partner states to regulate the release of water to Haryana, and as a result, it exhausted its share by March 30. On humanitarian grounds, Punjab decided to release 4,000 cusecs of water to Haryana, however, the BBMB ignored Punjab's interests and decided to release 8,500 cusecs of water to Haryana despite serious objections, Mann added, terming the action against the spirit and provisions of the law and sought the BBMB be advised to restrain itself and act within the law. Also Read | Mann defends appointment of Delhi leaders to key posts The CM also claimed that officials of Punjab in the BBMB were being 'marginalised' and 'ignored' and sought that it be advised to adopt a transparent and neutral approach in its dealings with the two states. On the deployment of the CISF at the Bhakra-Nangal dams, Mann said security of the dams has been the sole responsibility of the states since their construction. He said the deployment by the Union ministry of power is an unnecessary step as there is no need to disturb a well-established operational setup as it further 'degrades' the rights of Punjab with respect to these dams.
New Indian Express
24-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
No surplus water for other states, BBMB has biased approach: Punjab CM Mann at Niti Aayog meeting
CHANDIGARH: Taking part in the meeting of the 10th Governing Council of the Niti Aayog on Saturday, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann reiterated that Punjab has no surplus water for other states. Mann said that in the wake of the grim water situation in the state, the Yamuna-Sutlej Link (YSL) canal should be considered for construction instead of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal. He said the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej rivers are already in deficit and water should be diverted from surplus to deficit basins. He said Punjab has repeatedly requested to be included in negotiations for the allocation of Yamuna waters as a pact for the Yamuna-Sutlej Link project was signed between the erstwhile Punjab and Uttar Pradesh on March 12, 1954 which entitled the erstwhile Punjab to two-thirds of the Yamuna waters. Mann said this agreement did not specify any particular area to be irrigated by Yamuna waters, adding that before the re-organization, the Yamuna river, like the Ravi and Beas, flowed through the erstwhile state of Punjab. However, he bemoaned that while apportioning the river waters between Punjab and Haryana, the Yamuna waters were not considered, whereas the waters of Ravi and Beas were duly taken into account. Citing a 1972 report by the Irrigation Commission, constituted by the Centre, Mann said it states that Punjab (post-1966, after its reorganization) falls within the Yamuna River Basin. Hence, if Haryana has a claim over the waters of the Ravi and Beas rivers, Punjab should also have an equal claim on the Yamuna waters, he insisted. Mann said these requests have been ignored, adding that due to non-construction of storage structures on the Yamuna river, the water is being wasted. He urged that Punjab's claim should be considered during the revision of this agreement, and the state should be given its due rights to Yamuna waters. Alleging that the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) has a biased approach, he said it was constituted under the provisions of the Punjab Reorganization Act, 1966, with the mandate to regulate the supply of water and power from the Bhakra, Nangal and Beas projects to the partner states of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Chandigarh. He said that in the past, Punjab had been very liberal in sharing water with the partner states to meet their drinking water and other genuine requirements. Punjab was relying upon its groundwater reserves to meet its demand of water, particularly for the paddy crop.
Hans India
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Facing crisis, Punjab has no water to share: CM Mann to NITI Aayog
New Delhi: Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday clarified that Punjab has no surplus water for any state, including Haryana, owing to the water crisis. Taking part in the meeting of the 10th Governing Council of the NITI Aayog here, the Chief Minister said in the wake of the grim situation of water in the state, the Yamuna-Sutlej-Link (YSL) canal should be considered for construction instead of the Satluj-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal. Mann said the Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej rivers are already in deficit, and water should be diverted from surplus to deficit basins. He said Punjab has repeatedly requested to be included in negotiations for the allocation of Yamuna waters, as a pact for the Yamuna-Sutlej Link project was signed between the erstwhile Punjab and Uttar Pradesh on March 12, 1954, which entitled the erstwhile Punjab to two-thirds of the Yamuna waters. The Chief Minister said this agreement did not specify any particular area to be irrigated by Yamuna waters, adding that before the reorganisation, the Yamuna, like the Ravi and the Beas, flowed through the erstwhile state of Punjab. However, he said while apportioning the river waters between Punjab and Haryana, the Yamuna waters were not considered, whereas the waters of the Ravi and the Beas were duly taken into account. Citing a 1972 report by the Irrigation Commission, constituted by the Government of India, Mann said it states that Punjab (post-1966, after its reorganisation) falls within the Yamuna river basin. Therefore, the Chief Minister said that if Haryana has a claim over the waters of the Ravi and the Beas, Punjab should also have an equal claim on the Yamuna waters. He said these requests have been ignored, adding that due to the non-construction of a storage structure on the Yamuna, water is going to waste. Therefore, Mann pleaded that Punjab's claim should be considered during the revision of this agreement, and Punjab should be given its due rights to Yamuna waters. Raising the issue of bias approach of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), the Chief Minister said the board was constituted under the provisions of the Punjab Reorganization Act of 1966 with the mandate to regulate the supply of water and power from the Bhakra, Nangal and Beas projects to the partner states of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Chandigarh. Mann said that in the past, Punjab has been very liberal in sharing water with the partner states to meet their drinking water and other genuine requirements, as Punjab was relying upon its groundwater reserves to meet its demand for water, particularly for the paddy crop. He said that as a result, the groundwater level has depleted to a huge extent, so much so that 115 blocks out of 153 blocks of Punjab (76.10 per cent) are over-exploited, adding this percentage is the highest amongst all the states in the country. The Chief Minister said now with the upgraded canal structure, Punjab itself is running short of its water requirement, and even its water share in the river waters is not sufficient to meet these requirements. Despite repeated requests, he said the BBMB did not take any action to advise the other partner states to regulate the release of water to Haryana, and as a result, it exhausted its share by March 30. Mann said, considering the request of the government of Haryana on humanitarian grounds, the state decided to release 4,000 cusecs of water out of Punjab's share to meet its drinking water requirement, though Haryana has only a genuine demand of 1,700 cusecs of water. However, the Chief Minister said the BBMB ignored the interest of Punjab and decided to release 8,500 cusecs of water to Haryana despite serious objections raised by Punjab. He said this is against the spirit and provisions of the law, as the BBMB has taken this decision of taking Punjab's water against its consent, adding that the BBMB should be advised to restrain itself and act as per the provisions of law.
Time of India
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
‘White elephant, totally useless': Punjab CM Mann slams BBMB, seeks its reconstitution
Chandigarh: Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday criticised the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) as a "white elephant" during a discussion in the vidhan sabha on a resolution to protect the state's water rights, demanding its reconstitution. Describing the board as "totally useless and unacceptable in its current form," Mann declared, "Punjab will no longer accept any decisions made by the BBMB regarding water distribution." The CM pointed out that the BBMB was originally created to manage the waters of the Sutlej and Beas rivers, both of which flow through Punjab and are the state's rightful property. He emphasised that states like Haryana and Rajasthan have no direct connection to these rivers. "For years, Punjab's water has been diverted to other states through the BBMB," Mann said. "Now, the BJP govt is using this board for its political interests. Meetings are being held at midnight without consulting Punjab, and under pressure from other states, the rightful water share of Punjab is being taken away," he added. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Explore Market Opportunities Backed by AI Technology News Portal Try Now Undo Mann slammed the presence of employees from other states in the BBMB, claiming they were "paid from Punjab's exchequer and work against the state's interests". He also accused the BJP, through its Haryana govt and the central govt, of attempting to "snatch Punjab's rights". He alleged that BBMB meetings were being convened to "forcibly divert water to Haryana," despite the latter already using its full share by March 31. Highlighting the efforts of his govt, Mann revealed that canal water supply to Punjab's farmlands had increased from 22% to 60% in just three years. He stressed that Punjab no longer had any surplus water to spare. He also recounted an incident from April 6 when Haryana requested water for drinking purposes. "Haryana has a population of 3 crore, and only 1,700 cusecs of water is needed for all human needs. Yet they demanded 4,000 cusecs, which we provided on humanitarian grounds," Mann explained. "Now, Haryana is asking for 8,500 cusecs, which Punjab simply cannot provide." Mann reiterated that the BJP had convened an illegal and unconstitutional BBMB meeting, where a resolution was passed mandating that Punjab must provide additional water from its share to Haryana. "The Punjab govt will not give even a single extra drop of water to Haryana. The current allocation for drinking purposes will remain, but no more," he declared. The CM also warned of a dire water situation in the state, noting that dams were holding 55 feet less water compared to the previous year. He called for a review of water-sharing agreements every 25 years and advocated for the Yamuna-Sutlej Link (YSL) to ensure equitable sharing of water, saying, "Punjab has equal rights to Haryana's water as Haryana claims a share of Punjab's." Mann vehemently rejected the Dam Safety Act, describing it as a "serious attack" on Punjab and its rights, a stance he had opposed during his tenure as a Member of Parliament. Verbal spat with Bajwa Before the resolution was passed, CM Mann engaged in a heated exchange with leader of the opposition Partap Singh Bajwa. Mann questioned Bajwa over the absence of the Congress-led Himachal Pradesh govt from the BBMB meeting. "Himachal's absence left Punjab with only one vote against the two votes of Haryana and Rajasthan, the BJP-controlled states in the water-sharing arrangement," he said. Mann also criticised the Himachal Pradesh govt for "remaining silent" during the dispute, accusing it of tacitly supporting Haryana. In response, Bajwa defended the Congress-led govt, citing the Punjab Termination of Agreement Act, 2004, which he argued was designed to safeguard Punjab's water interests. Mann, however, hit back, warning Bajwa not to "go back to history". "If you revisit history, your hands are stained with the blood and waters of Punjab," Mann retorted. He also took a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, referencing his recent apology in the United States for events in the 1980s. "Rahul Gandhi claims he wasn't there at the time, yet apologises for the past. Does that mean Bangladesh wouldn't have been formed if he wasn't born before it?" Mann quipped. MSID:: 120904032 413 |
