Ludhiana: The Punjab and Haryana High Court issued instructions to pleas pleas to review its May 6 order to release 4,500 extra water to Haryana, which Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann called on Wednesday a “moral victory”. Mann also reiterated that Punjab has no spare water to share with any other state and said his state needs more water to meet the irrigation needs of agricultural communities.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday sought response from the centre, Haryana and Bakra Beth Management Council (BBMB) that the Punjab appeals reviewed its May 6 order to release 4,500 extra water to Haryana.
Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Sumeet Goel’s Judicial Court will be set as the next hearing date on May 20.
Mann said that as most of the state’s river resources are already dry, it needs more water to meet its irrigation needs.
Punjab and Haryana have said neighbors have used their share of water this year after refusing to share water from the Bakra Dam with the AAP government led by Mann.
Punjab claims Haryana has exhausted its allocated share and has released 4,000 Cusecs of water on humanitarian grounds.
Menn said on May 20 that the court sought responses from all stakeholders, calling it a “moral victory” for the state.
He said that by May 21, water that has been exhausted this year will be eligible for a share of water.
On May 6, the High Court directed Punjab to comply with the meeting decisions of the Union Home Secretary President Govind Mohan.
Mohan chaired a high-level meeting on May 2, which recommended the implementation of the BBMB decision to release 4,500 cusecs of additional water from the Bhakra dam to the Bhakra Dam to meet the state’s emergency water needs.
Punjab opposes in the petition that the Union Home Secretary is not the proper power to deal with issues related to the release of water.
Mann said the state government fought politically and legally.
He said his government is committed to safeguarding the interests of the country and will not work for it.
The chief minister also slams union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu for allegedly “spraying” him just to “please his political boss.”
Bitu is said to be from Ludhiana, but he made “no substantive” in the development of the city.
“Wake up in the morning and criticize me from that moment just to make his party boss happy,” Mann said.
He said traditional parties “enviously” him because they cannot digest the sons of ordinary people “effectively” manage the country.
“Due to their anti-people and anti-police positions, the people of the state have lost confidence in traditional political parties,” he claimed.
Mann said in the government’s work that the state has created “history” by launching several policies for loved ones and development to further develop economic growth.
After the project was launched, the Chief Minister announced that the “Buddha” would be completely contaminated and said that the state government had set the wheels for this noble cause.
Mann also announced the establishment of eight UPSC coaching centres in Punjab, one of which is in Ludhiana.
He said each center will be equipped with libraries, hotels and other basic facilities to provide high-quality training for competitive exams.
