High Court Restrains Punjab from Interfering in BBMB Operations, Orders Compliance on Water Release to Haryana
Chandigarh – The Punjab and Haryana High Court has issued a firm directive restraining the State of Punjab and its officials, including police personnel, from interfering in the daily operations and regulatory functions of the Bhakra Nangal Dam and the Lohand Control Room, both managed by the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB).
In a detailed ruling, the Division Bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sumeet Goel emphasized that the BBMB is governed by the Bhakra Beas Management Board Rules, 1974, which provide a statutory mechanism for resolving disagreements. The Bench noted that while Punjab disagreed with a recent decision taken by the BBMB, it had not exercised its legal option of appealing to the Central Government through the BBMB Chairman as provided under Rule 7 of the Rules.
The court also directed Punjab to comply with a decision reached during a high-level meeting chaired by the Union Home Secretary on May 2. At that meeting—attended by senior officials from the Centre, BBMB, and partner states—it was decided that 4,500 cusecs of additional water would be released to Haryana over an eight-day period to address its urgent needs. The BBMB also committed to compensating Punjab for this release during the dam’s filling season.
The matter came to the court’s attention after the BBMB accused Punjab Police of interfering in its operations. Taking serious note of the allegation, the court remarked that if proven true, such interference using police force would be “unacceptable.” The Bench made it clear that while Punjab may extend security to BBMB installations and staff, it cannot obstruct their functioning.
The court's order reaffirmed the primacy of institutional processes and cooperative federalism in managing inter-state water resources. It urged Punjab to follow lawful channels rather than unilateral action.
The BBMB was represented by Senior Advocate Rajesh Garg. Punjab was represented by Senior Advocate Gurminder Singh and Advocate-General Maninderjit Singh Bedi. Haryana’s legal team included Senior Advocate Pravindra Singh Chauhan and Additional Advocates-General Deepak Balyan and Naveen S. Bhardwaj. The Union of India was represented by Additional Solicitor-General Satya Pal Jain and Senior Counsel Dheeraj Jain.
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