Centre deploys CISF at Bhakra Dam amid Punjab-Haryana water dispute

Amid the standoff between Punjab and Haryana over water allocation from the Nangal dam, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has approved the deployment of a central force for the security of the Bhakra Dam project.

A total of 296 posts for Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel have been created for deployment in the security wing of the Bhakra Dam project at Nangal. A letter to this effect has been sent to the Director, Security and Consultancy of Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB). The Board has been instructed to complete all necessary formalities to provide accommodation, transportation, communication equipment, and security gadgets for the CISF deployment.

The decision appears to have been made after the Punjab Police increased its presence near the dam due to the ongoing water dispute, and BBMB chairman Manoj Tripathi was gheraoed by protesters at the rest house while overseeing the release of additional water to Haryana. This development comes on a day 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.