The North News
New Delhi, May 2
The river water dispute between Punjab and Haryana has entered a new phase. With political leaders in Punjab uniting to oppose a Centre-backed order to release extra water, Haryana has decided to knock on the Supreme Court’s door. Haryana Irrigation and Water Resources Minister Shruti Choudhry said the legal process is underway. “The act of Punjab withholding Haryana’s legitimate share of water from Bhakra Dam is unprecedented,” she told reporters. “This water belongs to the BBMB, not Punjab. Allocation is based on need, and that process has worked for years,” she added.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann convened an all-party meeting in Chandigarh on Friday. Despite political divides, leaders agreed to reject the Centre’s directive, calling it a threat to Punjab’s lifeline. “Every drop of river water belongs to Punjabis. No one can snatch it,” Mann said, calling the BBMB directive to release 8,500 cusecs to Haryana unacceptable.
He declared the state would not bow to pressure. “We will rise above all political affiliations to protect Punjab’s waters,” he said. The Centre’s emergency meeting, chaired by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan in Delhi, brought together officials from Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Himachal Pradesh. But it ended without resolution. The Punjab Assembly will hold a special session on May 5. A resolution defending the state’s rights over its river waters is expected.
Haryana, meanwhile, is intensifying its pressure campaign. Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini called Punjab’s refusal “immoral,” reminding that Sikh teachings emphasise generosity. “We offer water even to strangers,” he said at a press conference in Panchkula yesterday.
