Punjab-Haryana water dispute hearing begins 2 pm; High Court seeks BBMB meeting minutes

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday called for minutes of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) meetings from April 23 onwards.

The hearing would resume at 2 pm.

At the outset, senior advocate Gurminder Singh argued on Punjab’s behalf before the Bench headed by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sumeet Goel that the admitted stand before the court was that the two States of Haryana and Rajasthan had overdrawn their share of water.

Gurminder Singh added that Punjab, on the other hand, had not overdrawn, indicating that the water sought to be released belonged to the State quota.

Referring to the rules, he added that the BBMB chairman could refer disputes to the Centre, and the central government’s decision was binding. The competent authority was the Union Minister of Power, but the press note referred to by the Centre indicated that the decision was taken by the Union Home Secretary.

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