Mon May 05 11:44:52 UTC 2025: ## Punjab Rejects Haryana’s Water Request Amidst Bitter Dispute

**Chandigarh, May 5, 2025** – The Punjab state assembly today unanimously passed a resolution vowing not to share any additional water with neighboring Haryana, escalating a bitter dispute over water resources. The resolution, moved by Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal, accuses the BJP-led Haryana government and the central government of attempting to illegally seize Punjab’s water allocation.

The resolution claims that Haryana has already consumed its allocated water share, exceeding it by 3 percent by March 31st, and that Punjab, having invested heavily in improving its canal network to reach 60% of its farmland (up from 22% in 2021), has no surplus water to provide. While acknowledging a humanitarian gesture of providing 4,000 cusecs of water to Haryana in April for drinking purposes, the resolution stresses that this will not be exceeded. The Punjab government further condemns the convening of a Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) meeting, which it deems unconstitutional, as an attempt to force the water transfer.

The opposition party, the Congress, also voiced support for the resolution. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann emphasized that Punjab has no legal obligation to release additional water, citing both legal and statistical data. The dispute highlights the growing tension between the AAP-led Punjab and BJP-led Haryana governments over water resources.

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