India News | Haryana Government May Approach Supreme Court on Water Issue: Minister

Chandigarh, May 2 (PTI) Haryana Irrigation and Water Resources Minister Shruti Choudhry on Friday said the state government may approach Supreme Court over the fresh water-sharing dispute with Punjab.

Choudhry said Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) allocates water to the partner states and Punjab should not raise an objection.

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She also accused Punjab's Bhagwant Mann dispensation of politicising the issue.

"We had tried to not let the matter escalate. But Mann gave it a political colour," said Choudhry, who is also the granddaughter of former Haryana chief minister late Bansi Lal.

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She said the Haryana government is fully committed to protecting the state's legitimate share. "If this issue is not resolved, we will approach the Supreme Court. We have the complete data on Haryana's water receipts. All the relevant facts will be presented before the court," the minister said.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who also chaired an-all party meeting over the issue here on Friday, had earlier asserted that his government will not release additional water to the neighbouring state, claiming that it has already utilised 103 per cent of its allocated share.

Mann had also accused the BJP of exerting pressure on Punjab government through the BBMB to meet Haryana's demand.

Hitting out at Mann, Choudhry said, "When a chief minister uses such language for a neighbouring state, imagine the kind of petty politics he is doing. During the Delhi assembly polls, we saw how (AAP convener) Arvind Kejriwal did politics over the Yamuna water."

"What message is Punjab trying to give at a juncture when the entire India has united against terrorism? They say they don't have a drop to spare for a neighbouring state even if it is wasted and flows to Pakistan," she said.

Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan are partnering states who meet their water requirements from Bhakra and Pong dams managed by the BBMB. The BBMB decides the annual quota of water to be supplied to the three states from May 21 every year.

Choudhry also criticised the Punjab government for presenting "incorrect data and misleading the public".

"The Punjab chief minister's claim that Haryana has utilised 103 per cent of its allocated water is entirely false. Such misinformation appears to be politically driven," she said.

The water resources minister explained that during the shutdown of the Bhakra canal system, Haryana had requested the release of 4,000 cusecs of water to meet its drinking water needs and to ensure equitable distribution to partner states such as Delhi and Rajasthan, as no Yamuna water was being received through the Western Jamuna Canal.

However, Punjab released only 3,000 cusecs, which included Delhi's 1,049 cusecs share. Given the critical drinking water situation, Haryana reiterated its demand for 4,000 cusecs.

Subsequently, at the BBMB Technical Committee Meeting held on April 23, it was agreed that 8,500 cusecs of water would be allocated to Haryana from April 24 to May 1 under the Haryana Contact Point for distribution to partner states. Despite the consensus, Punjab did not issue the necessary demand letter to BBMB, resulting in water shortages in Haryana, she said.

Mann's assertion that Haryana exhausted its water quota in March 2025 is factually incorrect, Choudhry said.

"Punjab is selectively calculating figures based only on the deficit period. If the full water accounting for 2024 is considered, it clearly shows that Punjab received 9.30 per cent more than its allocated share, while Haryana received 0.198 per cent less. Over the last 20 years, Punjab has received 22.44 per cent more than its share, while Haryana received just 7.67 per cent more," she claimed.

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