DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

Amid the water row with Haryana, the Punjab government on Tuesday told the Punjab and Haryana High Court that the state police has been deployed at the Nangal dam due to security purposes and it was not interfering with the work of Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB). The Punjab chief secretary filed an affidavit stating this during the hearing on a petition filed by the BBMB objecting to the deployment of Punjab Police at the Nangal dam, calling it unconstitutional and illegal. The BBMB alleged that the Punjab police forcibly took over the operation and regulation of the Nangal dam and Lohand Control Room water regulation offices and prevented the release of water to Haryana. The division bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sumeet Goel is yet to give its order on the BBMB's plea.

Speaking to reporters after the hearing, senior advocate Gurminder Singh, representing the Punjab government, gave details of the affidavit filed by the chief secretary.

"Punjab took a specific stand that neither the Punjab Police was interfering with BBMB's work nor was it stopping them from doing their work," he said.

He said senior police officers considered the police force deployment at the Nangal dam in the wake of cross-border tension.

"We have said in the affidavit that their (BBMB) apprehension was baseless. Police have been deployed for security purposes as the dams are important structures for the Centre and the state," said Singh.

In its petition, the BBMB has sought a direction to the state of Punjab to forthwith remove its police force deployed "without any authority of law". BBMB's counsel Rajesh Garg said they submitted that the Punjab Police should not interfere in the BBMB's functioning.

Garg said the extra deployment of police force by Punjab was "malafide and motivated." "We have said the dam should be handed over to the (BBMB) engineers," he said.

Additional Solicitor General Satya Pal Jain, appearing for the Centre, said, the BBMB consists of representatives of several different states -- Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi.

It has the power to regulate water to different states, he pointed out.

"BBMB passed a resolution to release 8,500 cusecs of water to Haryana for eight days. This resolution was passed and the Punjab government, if they are aggrieved by it, then they can challenge it in the court which they have not done," said Jain.

"Now they have deployed the force at the Nangal dam, not allowing the BBMB to operate and regulate the water flow," he said. The Union Home Secretary called a meeting on May 2 in which it was decided to implement the BBMB's decision, he said. "Instead of doing that, the Punjab government deployed police there. We have said water supply to Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi be ensured," said Jain.

(editor@dailyworld.in)