Punjab Rejects Centre's Dam Safety Act, Accuses Congress of Historic Betrayal, Demands Full Control Over Rivers, Dams, and Water Resources Amid Rising Interstate and Federal Tensions.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann declared that the state government will soon introduce a new draft Act for the management and control of Punjab's dams; he asserted that Punjab will no longer accept the Dam Safety Act, 2021, imposed by the Centre.

- TARUNI GANDHI

Speaking during the ongoing special session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Mann disclosed that the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) has now filed a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court—objecting to Punjab's decision to depute state police at Nangal Dam, an infrastructure entirely located in Punjab.

Mann also directly questioned Leader of Opposition Congress Leader Partap Singh Bajwa, asking why Himachal Pradesh's Congress leaders voted in favour of Haryana in BBMB, even when Punjab is the riparian state. "How can you claim to represent Punjab and stay silent when your own party votes against Punjab's rights?" Mann asked.

Before this, Cabinet Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond took the floor and delivered a hard-hitting address exposing the historical and ongoing theft of Punjab's river waters, carried out through legal manipulation, central overreach, and betrayal by successive Congress governments.

"Let me remind the House—1 cusec of water is worth Rs.1.25 crore. Think of how much money Punjab would have earned had its waters not been gifted away to non-riparian states like Rajasthan and Haryana. We have been bled dry under the pretext of national interest," said Sond. He emphasized that Punjab is already grappling with a severe water crisis, with many blocks in the state classified as 'dark zones' due to depleting groundwater levels. Highlighting historical references and data, the Minister outlined how Punjab's water resources have been systematically looted. He noted that during the 1980s, when Congress was in power both at the Centre and in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan states, the state government failed to defend Punjab's water rights and instead bowed before the Centre.