DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday lashed out at the Centre, accusing it of making "arbitrary" appointments in the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB). The "high handedness" of the central government in these issues will not be tolerated at any cost, he said.

He was replying to a question on the Centre's decision to appoint a senior officer of Haryana as a member of BBMB (Irrigation).

Mann was interacting with mediapersons on the sidelines of a function to felicitate top performing students of the state.

He said these discriminatory decisions are "totally unwarranted" and "undesirable" as the officers of the state are being ignored.

Batting for reconstitution of the BBMB, he said the voting rights of any state should be ascertained according to its share in the board.

Citing an example, Mann said Punjab is having 60 per cent share in BBMB but its vote share is equal to Haryana and Rajasthan which together have 40 per cent share.

Mann termed this ridiculous, saying states with 40 per cent share can anytime take a decision against the state which is having 60 per cent share.

Punjab has no surplus water to share with any state and any decision which harms the interests of the state is not acceptable, he reiterated.

During the previous regimes, the leaders used to share water with Haryana and other states for their vested interests, he said.

Mann said now this practice is totally unacceptable as Punjab needs water for its irrigation needs.

Due to robust infrastructure upgraded by the state government, Punjab now needs more water for canal irrigation as compared to the past, he stated.

Mann said there is no question of sharing even a drop of water with any other state. To a query on a blast in Amritsar on Tuesday, Mann said the state government is investigating the matter.

Anyone found guilty in this heinous crime will not be spared and exemplary action will be taken against them as per the law of land, he said. No one will be allowed to disturb the hard earned peace of the state, he added.

(editor@dailyworld.in)