DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

The Punjab government on Saturday "boycotted" the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) meeting on the water-sharing row, with the state's water resources minister Barinder Kumar Goyal calling it "unconstitutional."

The meeting was held here on Saturday evening a day after the Centre advised Punjab to release extra water to Haryana after the former refused to do so. The BBMB regulates water distribution from Bhakra, Pong and Ranjit Sagar dams. Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan are the partnering states that meet their requirement for different purposes, including irrigation, from Bhakra and Pong dams.

The Board called a meeting on Saturday evening to work out the modalities for the release of extra water to Haryana, amid the row over sharing of water with Punjab.

Ahead of the meeting, the Punjab government wrote a letter to the BBMB, demanding that the meeting be adjourned.

Punjab Water Resources and Soil and Water Conservation Minister Goya said the state government "boycotted" the BBMB meeting.

Terming the meeting "completely unconstitutional and illegal", Goyal said that proper protocols were "violated" in the scheduling of the 255th special meeting.

"Under Regulation-3 of the 1976 Regulations, a seven-day notice is mandatory before scheduling a BBMB meeting," said the Cabinet Minister, adding, "We will not participate in the meeting until BBMB follows proper procedures."

In a letter to the BBMB chairman, the Punjab government communicated its position to the BBMB prior to the meeting. The state government conveyed that this meeting has been convened through "improper channels and in violation of established regulations."

It also pointed out that under regulation 3 of the BBMB Regulations issued under the Punjab Reorganization Act 1966, for special meetings convened to address urgent business, a minimum notice period of seven days must be provided to all members.

(editor@dailyworld.in)