BBMB Allocates 17,000 cusecs water to Punjab, 10,300 to Haryana, 12,400 to Rajasthan
The North News
Chandigarh, May 22
The Centre government has sanctioned the deployment of nearly 296 Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel to secure the Bhakra Dam. Meanwhile the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) has allocated 10,300 cusecs of water to Haryana, 12,400 cusecs to Rajasthan and 17,000 cusecs to Punjab for the 10-day distribution cycle starting on May 21. The development comes as political tensions continue to simmer over allocation of BBMB water.
According to official communication, a total of 296 CISF posts have been approved for induction into the security wing of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), the body overseeing the dam’s operations. The BBMB has been instructed to deposit over ₹8.5 crore with the CISF to cover the cost of the deployment, according to a letter sent to the Board’s Director (Security and Consultancy), according to media reports.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, addressing a victory rally in Nangal on Wednesday, launched a fierce critique of the BBMB, accusing it of undermining Punjab’s rights and siding with the Centre and Haryana. “The BBMB has become a white elephant. It no longer protects Punjab’s interests,” Mann told supporters, claiming that the Board’s chairperson had earlier this year attempted to divert water to Haryana without Punjab’s consent. “Our farmers stood their ground, and we blocked the move. They tried to steal our resources and we stopped them,” he said.
Mann further announced that he will take up the issue at the upcoming meeting of NITI Aayog, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, framing the dispute as part of a broader historical injustice against Punjab. “Punjab, a landlocked border state, has overused its water and soil to feed the country. Yet our rightful share of river water is consistently denied,” the Chief Minister said.
He reiterated Punjab’s longstanding demand that water-sharing agreements must be reassessed every 25 years, arguing that fluctuating water levels, climate change, and demographic shifts require dynamic, not static, frameworks. “What was relevant decades ago cannot be imposed on us today,” he said.
The BBMB, meanwhile, has yet to respond to Mann’s allegations.
