Chandigarh, May 6: In a dramatic turn during the ongoing hearing on the water sharing conflict between Punjab and Haryana High Court invoked the example of India-Pakistan tensions to urge restraint and cooperation between the two Indian states. The Court said that while India has decided to take measures against Pakistan, the States within the country should not be doing the same against each other.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sumeet Goel was hearing a plea moved by the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) seeking intervention against an alleged takeover of the Nangal dam by Punjab and the obstruction of the release of water to Haryana.
“We are doing this to our enemy country. Let us not do this within states,” Chief Justice SheelNagu remarked, underscoring the seriousness of the dispute and the need for internal unity.
The court was hearing a petition filed by the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), which sought urgent intervention against Punjab’s alleged obstruction of water release to Haryana. The BBMB warned of the dire consequences, stating, “The reservoir is going to overflow and the downstream states are going to dry,” pointing to the dual threat of flooding upstream and drought downstream if water is not equally distributed.
The case has gained national attention amid rising political and environmental concerns. The BBMB’s plea alleges that the Punjab Government is not complying with standard water release protocols, potentially disrupting the water supply to Haryana and further downstream to Delhi.
The court has asked Punjab to respond to the allegations and submit its stance in the next hearing, even as it pressed for a cooperative resolution to avoid aggravating an already critical water crisis.
Haryana Advocate General Pravindra Singh Chauhan alleged Punjab Police has taken operational control at the Nangal dam.
Punjab Advocate General Gurminder Singh Gary responded to the Bhakra Beas Management Board, dismissing the claims as “completely baseless” and clarified that the deployment of Punjab Police near dams is strictly for security purposes. BBMB has filed a petition alleging that Punjab Police is interfering in their operations.
He said, “In reality Police presence is part of routine deployment that has existed since the 1960s.” He further stated that “The police are deployed only for security reasons and not interfering in work of BBMB in any way. Dams are critical infrastructure, and protecting them is essential. There’s no argument about water distribution in this petition, nor is there a related plea.”