Chandigarh, May 6 -- The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) on Monday moved the Punjab and Haryana high court against the Punjab government, strongly objecting to police deployment at the Nangal dam and calling it illegal and unconstitutional. BBMB- controlled by the Union power ministry and which regulates water distribution from the Bhakra, Nangal, Pong and Ranjit Sagar dams-said that the uncalled-for security was hampering the working of the board and sought the court's intervention in the ongoing dispute over Punjab's refusal to release water to Haryana. The court issued notices to Punjab, Haryana and BBMB, and will continue hearing the petition on Tuesday. "This action of the state of Punjab is wholly unconstitutional and illegal and amounts to direct infringement/interference in statutory functioning of the board of the petitioner, which is performing a function of national importance, which is sovereign in nature," the plea said. The developments-which came on a day Punjab passed a resolution saying not a single drop of water will be given from its share-mark the latest twist in the controversy that began on April 28, when Haryana demanded 8,500 cusecs of water from the Bhakra dam but was turned down by Punjab. Last Wednesday, BBMB-set up by the Union power ministry in 1966 under section 79 of the Punjab Reorganisation Act - decided to allocate a total of 8,500 cusecs of water to Haryana from the Bhakra dam. Punjab's Aam Aadmi Party government refused to accept BBMB's decision and stopped the release of water early on Thursday at the Nangal dam, 13km downstream from Bhakra, and deployed police to guard the dam. On Friday, the Union home ministry told BBMB to go ahead with the release of water to Haryana for the next eight days from Saturday. The decision came after a meeting chaired by Union home secretary Govind Mohan, and attended by representatives of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan, the four partner states of BBMB. But Punjab has refused to cede ground, alleging that the Bharatiya Janata Party ruled states of Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan were trying to illegally put pressure on it. The Punjab government has maintained that it is already providing 4,000 cusecs of water to Haryana on "humanitarian" grounds and refused to give 4,500 cusecs more, claiming that the neighbouring state has already utilised its allocated share by March. To be sure, BBMB holds the jurisdictional authority over Nangal dam but the structure is currently controlled by Punjab because of the police deployment. "The Punjab government, while flouting all constitutional duties, illegally deployed a pose of cops at the BBMB Bhakra headworks and Lohand Khud escape channel. The regulator gates at Bhakra headworks from where the water flow has to be increased for Haryana and Lohand Khud escape channel are now under the control of Punjab police," the BBMB plea in the high court said. "If the police do not allow the regulator gates at Bhakra headworks to be operated and allow water to flow through Lohand Khud escape channel to Harike, the allocation of 8,500 cusecs to Haryana cannot be achieved," the petition added. On May 4, Punjab informed the board that police was deployed at Nangal dam for security in view of the recent terror attack at Pahalgam in Kashmir. The state also informed the high court on Monday that Haryana had overdrawn its quota of water, and was now demanding irrigation water under the guise of drinking needs. The arguments were partly heard by a division bench of chief justice Sheel Nagu and justice Sumeet Goel. Earlier, the high court also admitted two public interest petitions on this issue, one from a Haryana gram sabha and one from an advocate. BBMB, represented by senior advocate Rajesh Garg, said that on May 1, Punjab deployed police to take control of the Nangal dam and Lohand control room, thereby obstructing the release of 8,500 cusecs of water to Haryana as decided in BBMB board meeting. "We do not want Punjab police at the dam, if we needed security, we can ask that from central government and paramilitary forces can be deployed; why is Punjab police present at the Nangal dam?" asked Garg. In response, the Punjab government stated that it increased security in view of the tensions with Pakistan. "Police has been deployed at the Nangal dam as part of security arrangements in view of the recent terror attack in Pehalgam," senior advocate Gurminder Singh Garry said in court on Monday. The board sought a writ of mandamus to compel Punjab to withdraw its police force and vacate the premises, alongside an interim order restraining further interference. Additional prayers included summoning case records, dispensing with advance notice and certified annexures, and covering legal costs. BBMB said the decision to increase water allocation was taken in its technical committee meeting on April 23 to address reported drinking water shortages in Haryana, Rajasthan, and Delhi. Punjab, however, refused to comply beyond its voluntary offer of 4,000 cusecs....