The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) has approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court accusing the Punjab government of forcibly taking control of the Nangal Dam and Lohand Control Room water regulation offices, obstructing the release of water to Haryana in alleged violation of constitutional norms.
In its petition, the BBMB has sought immediate intervention and a direction to the Punjab government to withdraw its police force, claiming the deployment is without legal authority. The plea characterises the action as “wholly unconstitutional and illegal,” asserting that Punjab’s interference in the functioning of the board — which it describes as performing a sovereign, nationally important role — is unjustifiable.
The core of the dispute lies in water distribution. The BBMB’s technical committee had, on April 23, recommended the release of 8,500 cusecs of water to Haryana, of which 500 cusecs were earmarked for Rajasthan and 496 cusecs for Delhi. However, Punjab has refused to comply beyond the 4,000 cusecs it claims to be supplying on “humanitarian” grounds, stating that Haryana has already used up its allocated share for the water year by March.
The board’s petition contends that Punjab has blocked the placement of Haryana’s water indent before the BBMB, thereby halting the implementation of the committee’s decision. A subsequent BBMB meeting on April 30 advised Haryana to submit its indent directly to the board with copies to the concerned states. It was also decided that Haryana would facilitate releases to Rajasthan and Delhi and submit daily compliance reports to BBMB. But according to the plea, Punjab has refused to abide by this resolution.
The BBMB, in its filing, highlighted that any grievance against the board’s decisions should be raised with the Centre, which acts as the final arbitrator under the governing rules. It warned that any partner state unilaterally disrupting the BBMB’s statutory functioning threatens the federal structure and could trigger “anarchy and lawlessness.”
Echoing the BBMB’s concerns, advocate Ravinder Singh Dhull has also filed a petition in the High Court, accusing Punjab of deploying its police “illegally” at the BBMB Bhakra headworks and Lohand escape channel. According to Dhull, a Haryana gram panchayat has submitted a similar plea. The matter was heard on Monday by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu’s bench, which clubbed all related petitions and scheduled the next hearing for Tuesday.
The BBMB has further expressed alarm that the operation of the Nangal dam and Lohand Control Room requires trained professionals, and any takeover by non-technical personnel, such as police forces, could have “disastrous” consequences.
In its strongly worded petition, the BBMB stated: “The supply of water to Haryana or any partner state is a matter of lifeline… no one can forcibly enforce its unilateral and whimsical decision through the use of force.” It also warned that Punjab’s move could jeopardise the human rights of millions in Haryana, Delhi, and Rajasthan, while adversely affecting agriculture and the environment across these states.
