Punjab-Haryana standoff, Centre clears 296 CISF personnel for Nangal Dam security

Punjab-Haryana standoff, Centre clears 296 CISF personnel for Nangal Dam security

Chandigarh, Amid the escalating standoff between Haryana and Punjab over water crisis, the Central Government on Wednesday deployed the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) at the Bhakra Nangal Dam for its security.

A total of 296 posts for CISF personnel have been notified by the Union Home Ministry for deployment in the security wing of the Bhakra Dam Project at Nangal.

In a letter to the Director (Security) of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), the central government has given the instructions to complete all necessary formalities to provide accommodation, transportation, communication equipment, and security gadgets for the CISF deployment.

As per the reports, he deployment will be fully funded by the BBMB, with an estimated cost of Rs 8.58 crore per year.

The Centre’s decision came after the Punjab government had deployed police force at the dam and when the BBMB chairman went to release water, he was taken hostage.

This development came when Punjab’s AAP government was celebrating its success in Nangal for preventing the release of additional water to Haryana after the neighbouring state had exhausted its allocated share for the September 2024-May 2025 depletion period of the dam.

What Is The Row Between Punjab And Haryana?

The Punjab government led by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has slashed Haryana’s daily water supply from 9,500 cusecs to 4,000 cusecs. Chief minister Bhagwant Mann defended the move, saying his state has no surplus water to share.

Mann stated that Punjab’s water accounting runs from a one-year period beginning May 21, and Haryana’s allocation had been fully utilised.

He highlighted low water levels in key reservoirs, noting that the Ranjit Sagar Dam is 39 ft lower than last year, and the Pong Dam is down by 24 ft. “We have no extra drop to give".

Meanwhile, Haryana’s Nayab Singh Saini called Mann’s statement “misleading", and accused Punjab of violating a long-standing water-sharing agreement.

On April 29, Haryana Irrigation Minister Shruti Chaudhary met Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil in Delhi to seek Central government’s intervention. She warned that the reduction could severely impact drinking water and irrigation in Hisar, Fatehabad, Sirsa, Rohtak, and Mahendragarh districts.