Punjab boycotts BBMB meeting on water allocation to Haryana, terms it unconstitutional

The Punjab government on Saturday "boycotted" the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) meeting, a day after the Centre advised them to release extra water to Haryana.

The BBMB regulates water distribution from Bhakra, Pong and Ranjit Sagar dams. Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan are the partnering states that meet their requirement for different purposes, including irrigation, from Bhakra and Pong dams.

The board called a meeting on Saturday evening to work out the modalities for the release of extra water to Haryana, amid a row over the sharing of water with Punjab. Ahead of the meeting, the Punjab government wrote a letter to the BBMB, demanding that the meeting be adjourned. 

Punjab Water Resources and Soil and Water Conservation Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal said that the Punjab Government has boycotted the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) meeting scheduled for Saturday.  Terming the meeting completely unconstitutional and illegal, Goyal said that proper protocols had been violated in the scheduling of the 255th Special Meeting. "Under Regulation-3 of the 1976 Regulations, a seven-day notice is mandatory before scheduling a BBMB meeting," said the Cabinet Minister, adding that "We will not participate in the meeting until BBMB follows proper procedures."

In a strongly worded letter to the BBMB Chairman, the Punjab Government communicated its position to the BBMB prior to the meeting. The state government conveyed that this meeting has been convened through improper channels and in violation of established regulations.

The letter explicitly references Regulation 3 of the BBMB Regulations issued under the Punjab Reorganization Act 1966, which stipulates that for special meetings convened to address urgent business, a minimum notice period of seven days must be provided to all members.

Goyal pointed out that recent BBMB meetings held on April 28 and April 30 were also convened without adhering to the mandatory notice period. Notices for these meetings were issued merely a day before the scheduled dates on April 27 and April 29, respectively, rendering any decisions taken during these meetings legally questionable.

The Water Resources Minister said, "Regulation 3 clearly mandates a minimum seven-day notice for special meetings. The BBMB's persistent disregard for established procedures undermines the constitutional framework under which it operates."  He said that as the special session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha on the water sharing issue is scheduled to commence its session on Monday, May 5 and the preparation requirements for this important legislative session further necessitate the adjournment of the BBMB meeting.

The Punjab Government asked that the BBMB reschedule the meeting in accordance with proper procedural requirements to ensure that all stakeholder states can participate meaningfully in the decision-making process.

Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan chaired a high-level meeting on Friday in Delhi and advised carrying out the BBMB's decision to release 4,500 cusecs of extra water from Bhakra dams to Haryana for the next eight days to meet the state's urgent water requirements. It was also agreed that during the filling period of the dams, the BBMB will provide this excess water to Punjab to fulfil any additional requirements of the state.

The board decides the annual quota of water supply to the three partnering states -- Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan -- for a yearly cycle from May 21 to May 21 each year.