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Punjab CM Mann reiterates claim on Chandigarh, PU & river waters at Northern Zonal Council meet
Despite all promises, Chandigarh was not transferred to Punjab, which has bruised the psyche of every Punjabi, says CM Bhagwant Mann
Chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday reiterated Punjab’s claim over Chandigarh, Panjab University, and river waters, besides advocating genuine federal structure in the country before Union home minister Amit Shah in the 32nd meeting of the Northern Zonal Council held at Faridabad.
Mann said that the Constitution clearly demarcates areas in which the Union and the states have to exercise their respective authority. He said that federalism remains one of the basic pillars of our Constitution, but unfortunately, there has been a trend towards centralisation of authority.
Pleading for handing over Chandigarh to Punjab, Mann said that the Rajiv-Longowal Accord, signed on July 24, 1985, between the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Sant Harchand Singh Longowal, reaffirmed that Chandigarh will be transferred to Punjab.
However, Mann bemoaned that despite all promises, Chandigarh was not transferred to Punjab, which has “bruised the psyche of every Punjabi”.
Raising the issue of maintaining the status quo of the 60:40 ratio in the intake of service personnel from Punjab and Haryana in the functioning of the UT Chandigarh, Mann said that posts in departments such as excise, education, finance, and health are being opened to cadres like the state UT cadre. He said that it is a matter of grave concern that officers of the IAS and the PCS have been excluded from key positions in the Chandigarh administration.
Similarly, he said the posting of Punjab cadre officers to the post of general manager, FCI (Punjab). “The established trend of posting of an IAS officer from the Punjab Cadre to the Regional Office of the FCI should not be disturbed,” he suggested.
The post of MD CITCO has been held by an IAS officer of Punjab cadre in the past; however, UT state service officers are being posted to this position, against the convention.
Mann opposed the proposal to appoint a whole-time member in BBMB from Rajasthan, as the board is a body constituted under the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966, which concerns only the successor states of Punjab and Haryana.
The chief minister also strongly opposed any proposal to raise the Full Reservoir Levels (FRLs) of Bhakra and Pong dams. After the catastrophic 1988 floods, he said that the FRLs were reduced in the interest of protecting lives and property in Punjab, the only state affected by these floodwaters. “The severe floods of years 2019, 2023 and 2025 have reconfirmed that present FRLs must be maintained,” the CM said.
Reiterating that Punjab has no surplus water to spare through Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL), Mann added that there has been no scientific calculation regarding the availability of water even in the year 1976, 1981, when the ratio of water to be shared among the states was decided by the Centre ‘unilaterally’.
The CM said that serious efforts need to be made by the Centre and the respective states to stop any floodwaters from flowing into the Bay of Bengal through the Yamuna, in whose waters, Punjab should be included as a beneficiary.
Mann also raised the issue of providing financial assistance to carry out flood protection works on the Border Outpost (BOP) of the BSF and the army.
Seek announcement of PU Senate polls
The CM said that the Centre’s recent attempts to restructure the Panjab University’s governance have been seen as interference in Punjab’s rights and to its state identity and autonomy.
The university has a deep connection with the people of the state, Mann said, adding, “We do not understand why Haryana wants to affiliate its colleges with PU, when they have already been affiliated for the last 50 years with Kurukshetra University, an A+ NAAC-accredited university,” he said.
He said that the state government has always supported PU and is committed to doing this in the future, also, as per a mutually consultative process.
Mann cautioned that the University is not just an academic institution but forms an integral part of Punjabi identity, seeking restoration of democratic processes, including the announcement of elections for the original 91-member Senate.
The CM thanked the ministry of home affairs for convening this meeting to resolve the issues concerning Punjab and neighbouring states through inter-state consultations.
