Ambala (Haryana) [India], May 22 (HBTV): Amid the ongoing water-sharing dispute between Haryana and Punjab, Haryana Minister Anil Vij on Tuesday criticised the Punjab government, saying the leaders of Punjab should be ‘ashamed’ for raising such issues while the country is already facing border tensions.

‘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.

The dispute escalated after a special session of the Punjab assembly was convened on Monday. Punjab Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal moved a resolution 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 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 chaired by Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini unanimously passed a resolution 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)