Latest news with #BBMB
Hindustan Times
7 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Will release Kishau waters only after receiving pending arrears: Himachal CM
Chief minister (CM) Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday reasserted that the state government will release Kishau waters only after receiving pending arrears of BBMB from neighbouring states. He was addressing a public gathering under the 'Sarkar Gaon Ke Dwar' programme at Dehuri in Banjar development block of Kullu district on Wednesday. 'I went to Delhi on demands of Himachal people . We will give water to Delhi and Haryana, but first they should give the BBMB arrears pending for 14 years to Himachal. I have clearly said that first the neighbouring states should file an affidavit in the Supreme Court to pay this arrear, only then we will move forward with releasing water from the Kishau dam,' said Sukhu. The CM also announced to open Rajiv Gandhi Day Boarding School based on CBSE and a milk processing unit with capacity of 10,000 liters in Banjar. Sukhu hits out at BJP, saying, 'Those who had already been accused of corruption were making false allegations against the present state government to mislead the people of the state. Today they had become the policy makers of the BJP (referring to Congress leaders who switched over to BJP) but first they should look into their own affairs'. Blaming BJP's former chief minister for decline in education level, Sukhu said, 'Former CM Jai Ram Thakur looted the wealth of the people of the state and distributed electoral freebies worth ₹5,000 crores to win the assembly elections. He opened new institutions but cheated the people of the state by not providing staff and proper facilities.' Talking of steps taken by Congress, the CM said, 'We are not opening new educational institutions, but appointing teachers in schools and providing facilities so that children in rural areas can get better education environment. We created directorate of school education from classes 1 to 12, started English medium classes and will make extensive reforms in the field of education in the coming time.' CM Sukhu also inaugurated and laid foundation stones of various development projects worth ₹78.47 crore in Dehuri. The CM inaugurated seven projects, including ₹7.32 crore Banjar bye-pass along with a bridge in Banjar tehsil, ₹1.38 crore Manglour bridge on NH 305.
Hans India
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Himachal will release water only if BBMB arrears are cleared: CM Sukhu
Shimla: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu on Wednesday said the state would give water to Delhi and Haryana if they give Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) arrears pending for 14 years to the state. Speaking at a public gathering at Dehuri in the Banjar development block of Kullu district, he said: 'I went to Delhi with the demands of the people of Himachal Pradesh. We will give water to Delhi and Haryana, but first, they should give the BBMB arrears pending for 14 years to Himachal Pradesh. 'I have clearly said first that the neighbouring states should file an affidavit in the Supreme Court to pay the arrears, then we will move forward on the Kishau dam. I consider the state as my family, so I will not compromise with the interests of Himachal Pradesh.' During his two-day visit, the Chief Minister announced to opening of Rajiv Gandhi Day Boarding School, affiliated with the CBSE and a milk processing unit with a capacity of 10,000 litres in Banjar. He said the government was bringing about extensive reforms in the field of education, and these efforts would continue in future as well. Slamming former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, he said the BJP leader distributed electoral freebies of Rs 5,000 crore to win the assembly elections. 'He opened new institutions but cheated the people of the state by not providing staff and proper facilities. He's responsible for the decline in the level of education.' The Chief Minister said: 'We are not opening new educational institutions, but appointing teachers in schools and providing facilities so that children in rural areas can get a better education environment. As a step to bring reforms, we created the Directorate of School Education from class 1 to XII, started English medium classes and will make extensive reforms in the field of education in the coming time.' The Chief Minister said those who had already been accused of corruption were making false allegations against the present state government to mislead the people of the state. 'Today, they have become the policymakers of the BJP, but first, they should look into their own affairs.' During the natural calamity in 2023, the BJP leaders did not go to the Central government even once to plead for the rights of the affected families, while the Congress government stood with the people. 'We changed the rules to rehabilitate the affected families and gave a special relief package and increased the compensation for the house being completely damaged from Rs 1.50 lakh to Rs 7 lakh, while the compensation for the partially damaged house was increased to one lakh,' the Chief Minister added.
Indian Express
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Centre appoints Haryana officer in BBMB, Mann says ‘arbitrary'
The Appointments Committee of the Union Cabinet has appointed BS Nara, a chief engineer-rank officer from Haryana, as a member (irrigation) of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) amid the ongoing dispute over water-sharing between Punjab and Haryana. Punjab has Engineer Jagjeet Singh as a member (power) of the BBMB. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, however, criticised the Centre for making 'arbitrary' appointments to the BBMB, and said, 'The high-handedness of the central government in these issues will not be tolerated at any cost.' Batting for the reconstitution of the BBMB, Mann said, 'The voting rights of any state should be ascertained according to its share in the board. Punjab has a 60 per cent share in BBMB, but its vote share is equal to Haryana and Rajasthan, which together have a 40 per cent share. This is ridiculous, because states with 40 per cent share can anytime decide the state which is having 60 per cent share,' the Punjab CM said. Mann said, 'Punjab has no surplus water to share with any state, and any decision which harms the interests of the state is not acceptable. So, there is no question of sharing even a drop of water with any other state.' The central government, in an order issued on Monday, stated that the Appointments Committee approved a proposal from the Union Ministry of Power to appoint Nara to the BBMB for six months, or until a regular appointment is made, or until further orders, whichever comes earlier. Nara, a chief engineer-rank officer serving the BBMB, will now take on the additional responsibility of member (irrigation). According to Haryana government officials, the BBMB irrigation member post had been lying vacant for a long. The BBMB management includes a chairperson and two whole-time members — conventionally from the partner states of Punjab and Haryana — designated as the member (power) and the member (irrigation), respectively. There is a representation from each member state, including Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh, as nominated by the respective state governments. In 2022, the Centre issued a notification amending the BBMB Rules (1974), modifying the criteria for the selection of whole-time members of the board. The revised rules introduced technical qualification requirements for appointments, enabling the selection of members from across the country, rather than restricting appointments to Punjab and Haryana. Political leaders from both states, cutting across party lines, strongly opposed the amendment. Punjab Engineer Jagjeet Singh assumed the charge as member (power), BBMB, in July 2024. The appointment of the BBMB member (irrigation) follows a heated political debate between Punjab and Haryana. Noting Haryana's 'marginalised representation' on the BBMB, former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had earlier criticised the BJP-led government at the Centre and the state, alleging that they 'failed to protect Haryana's interests' in the BBMB water dispute. 'Today, Punjab officials occupy all key positions on the BBMB, and there is no one advocating for Haryana, which, as a result, is suffering,' Hooda said. The Punjab CM said, 'During the previous regimes, the leaders used to share water with Haryana and other states for their vested interests. Now, this practice is totally unacceptable as Punjab needs water for its irrigation needs. Due to robust infrastructure upgraded by the state government, Punjab now needs more water for canal irrigation as compared to the past.' — With PTI
Hindustan Times
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Clarify BJP's stance on CISF deployment at Nangal dam, AAP tells Jakhar
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab on Sunday asked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president Sunil Jakhar to clarify his party's stance on the central government's decision to deploy the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) at the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) project at Nangal. In a statement, AAP spokesperson Neel Garg claimed that during the all-party meeting led by chief minister Bhagwant Mann on the water issue, Jakhar stood with the Punjab government and assured every possible support, but his party's media in-charge was now supporting the decision to deploy CISF. 'This contradiction is baffling,' he said, asking Jakhar to state his position. Neel Garg said that Punjab has the rightful claim over its water, and neither the central government nor BBMB can impose their will arbitrarily. 'During previous governments, Punjab's canal system was in a dire state, primarily due to the Akali-BJP government's neglect. However, the Mann government has improved the canal water supply to over 60% of areas. Despite these efforts, Punjab is already facing a shortage of water for its farmers, making it impossible to share water with other states,' he said.
Indian Express
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Biased BBMB, water dispute, CISF deployment at dams: Mann flags ‘discrimination' by Centre
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Saturday flagged the water sharing dispute with Haryana and accused the Centre of adopting a 'discriminatory', 'unwarranted', and 'undesirable' approach against the border state, as he denounced it over the deployment of the CISF at the Bhakra Nangal dams. Addressing the 10th governing council meeting of the Niti Aayog in Delhi, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mann asserted that Punjab had no surplus water to give to any state, and called for the construction of the Yamuna-Sutlej-Link (YSL) canal to allay the 'grim' situation. Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej rivers are already in deficit and water should be diverted from surplus to deficit basins, he said. Mann said Punjab has repeatedly requested to be included in negotiations for the allocation of Yamuna's water as a pact under the Yamuna-Sutlej-Link project – signed between the erstwhile Punjab and Uttar Pradesh on March 12, 1954, which had entitled Punjab to two-thirds of the Yamuna's water. The agreement did not specify the area to be irrigated by Yamuna, he said, adding that before the re-organisation, the Yamuna, like the Ravi and Beas flowed through Punjab. He bemoaned that while apportioning the river water between Punjab and Haryana, the Yamuna was not considered, whereas the water of Ravi and Beas were. Citing a 1972 report by centrally-constituted Irrigation Commission, Mann said that it states that Punjab (post-1966, after its reorganisation) falls in the Yamuna River Basin, and therefore, if Haryana has a claim over the water of Ravi and Beas rivers, Punjab should also have an equal claim on Yamuna's water. These requests have been ignored and because of the lack of a storage structure on Yamuna, water is going to waste, he said. The chief minister also alleged a 'biased' approach of Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) in the matter. Mann claimed Punjab had been very liberal in sharing water with the partner states to meet their drinking water and other needs, even as the state relied upon its groundwater reserves to meet its demands, particularly to irrigate the paddy. As a result, the groundwater level in the state has depleted to a great extent, so much so that 115 blocks out of its 153 blocks (76.10 per cent) are over-exploited, the highest among all states, Mann said. He said that now with the upgraded canal structure, Punjab is running short of water and even its share from the rivers is not enough to meet its needs. He alleged that the BBMB, despite repeated requests, did not advise other partner states to regulate the release of water to Haryana, and as a result, it exhausted its share by March 30. He said that on humanitarian grounds, Punjab decided to release 4,000 cusecs of water to Haryana, however, BBMB ignored Punjab's interests and decided to release 8,500 cusecs of water to Haryana despite serious objections. Mann termed the action against the spirit and provisions of the law and sought BBMB be advised to restrain itself and act within the law. He also told the house that Punjab requested BBMB repeatedly to bring financial prudence in its operations, but to no avail, as he demanded stricter purse for the board. He also claimed that the officers of Punjab in BBMB were being 'marginalised and ignored' and sought that it be advised to adopt a transparent and neutral approach in its dealings with the two states. On the deployment of CISF at the Bhakra Nangal dams, Mann said security of the dams has been the sole responsibility of the states since their construction. He said the deployment by the Ministry of Power is an unnecessary step as there is no need to disturb a well-established operational setup as it further 'degrades' the rights of Punjab with respect to these dams.
