New Delhi, May 4 -- A day after Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan advised the Punjab Government regarding water release from the Bhakra dam, the stand-off between Punjab and Haryana over water sharing intensified on Saturday. The Bhagwant Mann Government in Punjab decided not to participate in a meeting convened by Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) on Saturday while Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, after chairing the all-party meeting on Saturday, asked the Bhagwant Mann Government to allow the release of water from the Bhakra dam unconditionally.

The BBMB meeting, scheduled to start at 5 pm, was intended to discuss water allocation, but Punjab sent a letter to BBMB requesting a postponement. The BBMB regulates water distribut...