Nangal, 14 May 2025 : Haryana has already used more water than its allocated share. Haryana has colluded with the BBMB and the central government to rob Punjab’s water, and BBMB made the wrong decision to supply 8500 cusecs of water to Haryana, which is unacceptable to Punjabis at any cost. Punjab has a 60% share in the BBMB, and this decision by the board is unilateral, autocratic, and undemocratic.
This statement was made by Harbhajan Singh ETO, Cabinet Minister for Electricity and Public Works, while addressing a large gathering at a sit-in protest near Nangal Dam. He said that BBMB has no right to provide water to anyone while ignoring Punjab and its interests, and this will not be allowed under any circumstances. He further said, “Just as a farmer always protects his share of water, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has been coming repeatedly to ensure that no one can rob Punjab’s water. The Punjab government will not allow anyone to loot the state’s water, and a proper strategy has already been devised in this regard.”
The Cabinet Minister warned the central and Haryana governments, saying that their repressive policies will not be allowed to operate in Punjab. He said that Punjab will strongly oppose any move that threatens its water resources, as water is the lifeblood of the state, which is primarily agriculture-based.
The Cabinet Minister stated that when the state faced a shortage of grain stock, Punjab had generously provided water to other states through rivers and canals. Punjabis have installed 15 lakh tubewells, extracting water from Punjab’s soil to produce crops, which has degraded the land’s health. Punjab’s farmers bore the burden of high electricity bills for these tubewells, which the state government paid, and this double burden was endured by the people of Punjab due to the failure of past governments. However, now Punjab’s future is secure. Today, the state has an extra 35-40 days of coal for thermal plants, and has purchased a thermal plant worth 1080 crores. Now, the government owns three thermal plants, and there is no shortage of electricity. We are providing 600 units of free electricity to domestic consumers without any conditions.
On this occasion, Dr. Sanjeev Gautam, Chairman of Guru Ravidas Ayurvedic University, MLA Inderbeer Singh Nijjar, MLA Gurdeep Singh Randhawa, MLA Balveer Singh Pannu, Ranjit Singh Cheema, Chairman of Punjab Water Board, Rohit Kalia, President of Truck Union, Karan Saini, Sumit Talwara, Kala Shokar, Sudhir Daroli, Satish Chopra, Hardeep Bains, Sandeep Singh, Samsher Singh, Baldev Singh, Vijay Bhagat, Jaspal Singh, Sukhbir Singh (all Coslars), Arshdeep Singh, Sarpanch, Sukhchain Singh, Sukh Sarpanch, Amandeep Singh, Sukhdev Singh, Harjeet Singh, Vijay Bhagat, Baldev Singh, Sandeep Singh, and others were present.
Summary: Punjab Power Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO confirmed the state has provided 600 units of free electricity to domestic consumers, benefiting 90% of households.