Challenges Union Home Secretary's Authority, Accuses BBMB Chairman of Misrepresentation
Chandigarh, May 13—The Punjab government has filed an application in the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking a review or modification of its May 6 order, which directed the state to comply with Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan's May 2 directive regarding the release of 4,500 cusecs of additional water to Haryana.The May 6 high court directive followed a high-level meeting chaired by the Union home secretary, where it was decided to release extra water from Bhakra Dam through the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) to meet Haryana’s pressing water needs for eight days.
Punjab Questions Competency of Meeting
In its plea, the Punjab government strongly objected to the legitimacy of the Union home secretary’s directive, asserting that he was not the appropriate authority to decide on matters of water allocation.“The meeting on May 2 was stated to be convened for law-and-order concerns, not for taking statutory decisions on water distribution, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Power as per the BBMB Rules,” the petition stated.
The state further emphasized that the May 2 meeting lacked a formal agenda related to water release and was not a consequence of any BBMB reference regarding Haryana’s representation.
Legal Action Initiated Against BBMB Chairman
In a significant development, the Punjab government has initiated legal proceedings against BBMB Chairman Manoj Tripathi for what it calls “deliberate misrepresentation of facts” during the court hearings.According to a government spokesperson, Tripathi initially stated in court on May 8 that he was safely assisted out of a situation by Punjab Police after being surrounded by local citizens. However, in an affidavit submitted the next day, he alleged illegal detention—a contradiction the state argues amounts to knowingly filing a false affidavit.
Citing Section 379 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), Punjab has requested the court to initiate an inquiry under Section 215, which deals with the submission of false affidavits. The state is also seeking contempt of court proceedings against both Tripathi and Sanjeev Kumar, Director (Water Regulation), for allegedly disobeying the May 6 court order.
Dispute Over Water Quantities
The Punjab government clarified that the court’s order mandated compliance with decisions made in the May 2 meeting, not the release of 8,500 cusecs as later claimed by Tripathi. The spokesperson accused the BBMB chairman of misleading the staff by misrepresenting the order’s content.Punjab reiterated its stance that Haryana has already exhausted its allocated share of water and that 4,000 cusecs are already being released on humanitarian grounds.
Background of the Dispute
The ongoing conflict between Punjab and Haryana over water sharing intensified after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers allegedly locked Tripathi inside the Nangal Dam guest house on May 8. In response to BBMB’s plea, the high court restrained Punjab and its departments, including police, from interfering in the day-to-day functioning and regulation of Bhakra Nangal Dam and associated water control operations.The Punjab government maintains that no formal communication about water release decisions was ever made to state authorities or the BBMB chairman, further strengthening their case for a legal review.
As tensions persist, the water-sharing issue remains a major flashpoint between the two neighboring states, with legal and political dimensions intensifying over the control and distribution of vital water resources.