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Punjab CM opposes BBMB move to give water to HP, writes to PM
In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the chief minister said it is unfortunate that the Union government had issued directions to the chairman of Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) in this regard on May 15, 2023
Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday, in a letter to Prime Minister, opposed the ‘unilateral decision’ of the Centre to waive the conditions of seeking a no objection certificate (NOC) for drawing water by Himachal Pradesh for irrigation schemes.
In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the chief minister said it is unfortunate that the Union government had issued directions to the chairman of Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) in this regard on May 15, 2023.
He said vide these directions the Central government has directed the chairman, BBMB, to do away with the present mechanism of NOC with the condition that the cumulative withdrawal by the Himachal Pradesh government is kept below their analogous share in power i.e. 7.19% as decided by the Supreme Court.
Further, Mann said BBMB shall only carry out a technical feasibility study for the withdrawal of water by Himachal Pradesh for water supply/irrigation projects, if it involves engineering structures of BBMB and convey the necessary technical requirements to Himachal Pradesh, within 60 days from receipt of such request.
Mann said this decision is completely unjustified, baseless and a grave injustice to Punjab because as per the water agreements, no water is required to be allocated to Himachal Pradesh out of the Sutlej and Beas.
Mann said though the Supreme Court has allowed a 7.19% share to Himachal Pradesh, but that share only relates to power, and no orders have been issued by the Apex Court regarding the sharing of water.
Mann said the sharing of water is an inter-state dispute and ‘no unilateral directions can be issued to share the waters by the states’.
This is the third back-to-back tussle between Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. Both states are at loggerheads over the renewal of the lease of the Shanan hydroelectric powerhouse being run by Punjab and a recent bill passed by the Himachal Pradesh assembly about levying of water-cess on the hydroelectric projects running in the hill state.
Punjab has raked up both the issues with the Centre already.
In the fresh letter, the Punjab CM said that BBMB was constituted under Section 79(1) of the Punjab Reorganization Act, 1966, as per which the mandate of the board is only for the administration, maintenance and operation of the dam and reservoirs-- Nangal Hydel channel and Irrigation headworks at Ropar, Harike and Ferozepur.
Mann categorically said that as per the Act, BBMB is not authorized to give any water out of the rivers to any state other than the partner states, adding that Himachal Pradesh is not a partner state.
Mann said that the waters of Sutlej, Ravi and Beas have been allocated to Punjab, Haryana, J&K, Delhi and Rajasthan under separate agreements, and Himachal Pradesh cannot raise any claim on the waters of the said rivers.
The chief minister said the water of these rivers has been earmarked for specific areas of the partner states, and the allocated water is supplied through a specific canal system.
He further said water is a state subject covered under Entry 17 of State list-II of the Constitution, and the determination or adjudication of rights of river waters fall in the exclusive jurisdiction of a Tribunal to be constituted by the Central government as per the provision of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956, enacted under Article 262 of the Constitution, based on a complaint raised by a state government.
Mann said that the partner states of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan have been very liberal in the past to provide water out of the inter-state carrier channels to Himachal Pradesh for drinking purposes.
However, Mann bemoaned that the Centre had by instant directions also included the irrigation schemes. He recalled that during the previous years, the BBMB has allowed the release of water on 16 different occasions to Himachal.
Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said he has no knowledge of any letter written by his Punjab counterpart regarding the BBMB issue.
He, however, said that in case the partner states have any objections it can be resolved through talks.
“If he (Punjab CM) has written such a letter, I will speak to him. We can sit and discuss the issue. Before the reorganization of Punjab, Himachal and Haryana were its part. Centre government formed the BBMB, and when Himachal was formed, it got a share in properties. We have a royalty in BBMB, but we don’t get it. We will talk to the CMs of Punjab, Haryana and other partner states. If they have an objection, we can resolve the issue through talks,” he said.
