CM Bhagwant Mann will highlight Punjab’s claims on Chandigarh administration, river water control, BBMB management, and PU Senate issues at the Northern Zonal Council Meeting in Faridabad.

At the Northern Zonal Council Meeting, which will take place in Faridabad on Monday, CM Bhagwant Mann will continue to prioritize the state’s 60% stake in the Chandigarh Administration positions, control over Punjab’s river waters, and the now-retracted restructuring of the Punjab University Senate.

Amit Shah, the Union Home Minister, will preside over the meeting. The summit will be attended by the chief ministers and administrators of each of the constituent states and union territories, including Chandigarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Rajasthan, Delhi, and Punjab.

CM Mann will bring up the state’s objections during the meeting because the PU Senate restructuring issue caused a political storm in Punjab, with all political parties calling it an attack on the state’s federal rights. He will probably call for early Senate elections and the maintenance of the status quo.

Although it is unlikely that the topic of Punjab’s exclusive claim to Chandigarh will come up during the meeting, the chief minister will insist that the balance established during the 1966 state reorganization be upheld, with Punjab government employees still receiving 60% of the positions in the Chandigarh Administration. In recent years, UT/AGMUT cadre officers have taken over a number of positions that were formerly occupied by Punjabi authorities.

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However, according to officials in the Chief Minister’s Office, the state’s resistance to the Rajasthan government’s plan to give the BBMB management of the Ropar, Harike, and Ferozepur headworks will be the main topic of discussion at the meeting.

The Punjab government is loath to relinquish control over the dam’s water supply following the dispute with the BBMB earlier this year over the transfer of more water to Haryana after the neighboring state had used up its allotted amount.

It’s also likely that the topic of the CISF replacing the Punjab Police at the Bhakra Dam will be discussed. We’ll also talk about the Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal, which has been a source of conflict between Punjab and Haryana for many years. Punjab claims it doesn’t have any water left over for Haryana.

The state will instead demand a portion from the Yamuna waters once more. Mann will also be against the Center’s efforts to add Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthani members to the BBMB. In addition, he will oppose Rajasthan’s demand that 0.60 MAF of water be released from the Ravi-Beas and 0.17 MAF from the Bhakra Mainline canal.

There will also be discussion about the need to find a long-term solution to stop the Ghaggar from flooding during the monsoon. The river flows through Punjab and Haryana, and both states will need to come to an agreement on how to handle the floods that the river causes.