"Leaders of Punjab should be ashamed...": Haryana Minister Anil Vij on water dispute

"The leaders of Punjab should be ashamed for raising such issues when the country is already going through the border tensions... There is a huge conspiracy behind this.... The leader of Punjab should immediately end the tension that is going on between the two states," Vij told reporters.

Amid the ongoing water dispute with Haryana, the special session of the Punjab assembly was convened on Monday.

Punjab Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal moved a resolution in the Punjab Legislative Assembly during a special session, vehemently opposing the Bhakra Beas Management Board's (BBMB) decision to release an additional 8,500 cusecs of water to Haryana.

Punjab has reaffirmed its commitment to its voluntary allocation while firmly refusing Haryana's latest request for 8,500 cusecs from the Bhakra Beas system, arguing that the cited emergency has ended.

Senior Advocate Gurminder Singh Garry, representing Punjab in proceedings related to the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, informed the court on Monday that repairs to the Western Yamuna Canal, which had initially justified the diversion, were completed by May 1, making the continued request for water baseless.

Earlier on May 3, an all-party meeting was held under the chairmanship of Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini regarding the ongoing water sharing dispute between Haryana and Punjab, in which a resolution was unanimously passed in the meeting urging the Punjab government to implement, without conditions, the decisions of the BBMB technical committee.

On April 30, the BBMB ordered an additional 8,500 cusecs of water to be released to Haryana from the Bhakra-Nangal Dam. However, the Punjab government rejected the BBMB's decisions, raising concerns over decreasing water levels in key reservoirs. (ANI)