Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has once again made serious allegations against the Central Government and Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) regarding water and resources. He has said that the amount being given to BBMB to Punjab will now be audited, because this board is part of the state
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The Chief Minister also put the central government in the dock and said that the amount of Rural Development Fund (RDF) received by Punjab has been stopped, causing heavy losses to the state’s rural economy and farmers. He termed this decision as an “anti -Punjab conspiracy”.
Know what is the dispute
BBMB i.e. Bhakra allocates water and energy to states like Beas Management Board, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Himachal Pradesh. The board operates projects such as Bhakra Nangal Dam, Pong Dam, and Beas-Sutuz Link (BSL). BBMB was formed in 1966 after the reorganization of Punjab, when Haryana and Himachal Pradesh were formed.
The main dispute is that –
- Punjab says that the water of Bhakra and Beas rivers is its basic natural right, because these rivers flow from within the state.
- But through BBMB, water is also given to Haryana, Rajasthan and Himachal. The Punjab government alleges that the water of the state part is being divided into ‘unjust manner’.
- In 2022, when BBMB ignored Punjab officials on its technical and administrative positions, the tension between Punjab and BBMB was deepened since.
- The Punjab government also alleges that they are not getting a proper share of energy from BBMB and the central government is not interfering with it.
Lifting the issue to the state’s “water-based sovereignty”, Chief Minister Mann said that Punjab will no longer compromise its rights. He emphasized that if the operation of BBMB is not transparent and fair, then the entire forensic audit of funds and resources given to Punjab will be done.
Politics has taken controversy
This issue is not only administrative, but has completely taken political color. Earlier too, the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Punjab unit of the Congress had expressed concern about BBMB, but Bhagwant Mann’s government is calling it a battle of a “control versus control of the state”. This may further intensify confrontation over federal structure between Punjab and the Center.
Chief Minister Mann made it clear that if the Center and BBMB did not improve the rights of Punjab, the government will take the issue to the Supreme Court and Parliament.
