CISF at Bhakra Dam: The Punjab government has clearly said no to the plan of bringing in the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to guard Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) projects. Even though the Punjab Assembly passed a resolution against this deployment just yesterday, the other two states involved in BBMB Haryana and Rajasthan have shown full support for bringing in the central force.
On July 4, BBMB had a full board meeting where this issue was discussed. Punjab strongly opposed the CISF deployment during the meeting, while Haryana and Rajasthan gave their approval. So far, BBMB has not taken a final decision.
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But the earlier plan to prepare housing for the CISF personnel in Nangal township has been stopped for now. These houses were meant for 296 CISF members. The BBMB management had earlier asked its employees to vacate their quarters to make room for the CISF team, which caused protests from employee organisations too.
Punjab Refusal
The problem isn’t just about who guards the dams. It’s also about money. Punjab has a 52% stake in BBMB, so it gives a big chunk of the funds. With this issue heating up, Punjab has now said it won’t give any money for CISF deployment. BBMB is now worried Punjab might question them about misusing the budget, which is why the housing work was paused.
Interestingly, Punjab had agreed to CISF deployment back in 2021. But things changed this May when a fresh fight over water sharing between Punjab and Haryana broke out. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann led a protest at Nangal Dam that lasted until May 20. During that time, Punjab didn’t let BBMB release extra water to Haryana. While this water issue was going on, the Union Home Ministry gave the green signal to deploy CISF and asked BBMB to deposit ₹7.5 crore for the service.
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CISF was planned to take over from the police forces of Punjab and Himachal who are currently guarding important BBMB structures like dams and townships. Now Punjab is not just refusing to fund the plan but also making its opposition stronger. On the other hand, BJP-led Haryana and Rajasthan continue to back the move.
