NANGAL, May 22: — Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday announced that the state will press for the reorganisation of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) at the upcoming NITI Aayog meeting, asserting that water-sharing agreements with partner states must be revisited to safeguard Punjab’s interests.
Addressing a large gathering of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers at the Nangal Dam, Mann said the BBMB had become a burden for Punjab due to years of administrative neglect. “Owing to the negligence of previous governments, 2,550 posts under Punjab’s quota in BBMB remain vacant. We will fill all of them,” he said.
He further added that the state would oppose the reappointment of retired Haryana officials to the board, calling the BBMB “a white elephant” that had long drained Punjab’s resources. “The BBMB owes Punjab Rs 33 crore since the Bhakra Dam’s construction. With interest, that amount has risen to over Rs 130 crore. We’ll recover it by deducting it from our share of the board’s budget,” Mann stated.
He also pointed out that while photos of the chief ministers of Haryana and Rajasthan were displayed in the BBMB headquarters, the image of Punjab’s CM was conspicuously absent.
Reacting to recent disputes over water release, Mann said, “Haryana is like our younger brother, but we have no water to spare. From today, we will release 100 cusecs more to Haryana as a goodwill gesture, but excess use as in the last cycle will not be allowed again.”
Mann hailed the 20-day protest by AAP workers at Nangal as a “victory for Punjab’s waters,” and declared the day as Fateh Divas. The workers ended their dharna after his address, raising slogans and hailing the chief minister as “Pania Da Rakha” (saviour of waters).
He claimed Punjab had never used more than 70 percent of its BBMB water share and that the current government had revived the canal infrastructure to utilize its full entitlement.
Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains, along with several AAP MLAs and ministers, joined the rally in support of the government’s stance.
Later in the day, Mann met with panchayat representatives from Ghanaur Kalan, Ghanaur Khurd, Ghanauri Kalan, Katron, and Changli villages. At the meeting in Ghanaur Kalan, he reiterated that Punjab cannot afford to release surplus water to Haryana and urged neighboring states to manage their BBMB allocations responsibly. He also listened to local grievances and assured support.
Read More: Will allow only 100 cusecs of extra water to Haryana, CM
