E-Paper
Punjab sends ₹113-cr bill to Haryana for Bhakra canal upkeep
State to seek legal opinion on BBMB paying Centre for CISF deployment, says finance minister Harpal Cheema
Finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Wednesday stated that the Punjab government has sent a bill of ₹113.24 crore to Haryana for the operation and maintenance of the Bhakra canal.
Addressing a press conference here at Punjab Bhawan, Cheema said the bill represents pending liability and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government is vigorously pursuing the recovery of long-standing dues owed to Punjab by other partner states in the BBMB.
“The state government has formally addressed these critical issues with the defaulting states. The pending Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) liability, amounting to ₹113.24 crore, has been officially forwarded to the Haryana government for settlement,” Cheema said, criticising the previous governments for neglecting the state’s interests within the BBMB.
This comes a day after the BBMB made a payment of ₹8.58 crore to the Union ministry of home affairs for Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) deployment at critical sites managed by BBMB, including Bhakra and Pong dams, power houses, and the downstream project regulating water supply to Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan.
The deployment of CISF personnel is the latest bone of contention between the Centre and the AAP government in the backdrop of the water-sharing dispute between Punjab and Haryana.
The Punjab government had deployed additional police force at the Nangal dam following the BBMB’s decision to release an additional 4,500 cusecs of water for Haryana following a request from the state. BBMB has since been seeking CISF deployment at the dam.
The pending payment was discovered during an internal audit conducted by the government, Cheema said.
The finance minister said that a thorough reconciliation process, conducted by relevant Punjab officials, confirmed the outstanding amounts. “This includes ₹103.92 crore due to the XEN BML Canal Division, Patiala, and ₹9.32 crore for the Mansa Canal Division, Jawaharke, all pertaining to the reimbursement of actual expenditures incurred on the operation and maintenance of common carrier channels of the Bhakra Systems”, said Cheema.
Cheema said the state will seek legal opinion on the issue of the BMMB paying ₹8.5 crore for CISF deployment at the Bhakra-Nangal project.
“Under a well-planned conspiracy, the Centre and the Haryana government were trying to snatch Punjab’s waters through such tactics. We will not let the CISF be deployed, nor will we bear any expenditure arising out of the deployment...We will seek a legal opinion over the matter,” he said, asserting that the Punjab Police has been providing security at the dams for the last 70 years with no untoward incident.
Cheema reiterated that the Punjab House has unanimously passed a resolution opposing the move and the state government is resolute in safeguarding the state’s interests. Earlier, the Punjab Cabinet had withdrawn the consent to the CISF deployment at the dams in the state by the then Congress government in 2021.
Cabinet approves restructuring of rural devp blocks
The Punjab Cabinet on Wednesday approved the restructuring of rural development blocks to align them with district boundaries, thereby enhancing administrative efficiency.
A decision to this effect was taken during the cabinet meeting here.
A spokesperson of the chief minister’s office said the restructuring has been undertaken to bring the jurisdiction of development blocks in line with existing district boundaries, especially benefiting Sangrur, Malerkotla, Fazilka, Ferozepur, Mohali and Patiala districts.
This realignment is intended to ensure better coordination between block-level and district-level administrations, streamline the planning and implementation of rural development schemes, and eliminate administrative overlaps that often led to delays and inefficiencies, he said.
The restructuring exercise was carried out after careful examination of the existing administrative boundaries and operational requirements.
All necessary legal and administrative procedures have been followed in the reorganisation process, said the spokesperson.
This move is expected to facilitate easier access to services for citizens and panchayati raj institutions and improve overall efficiency in the implementation of central and state-sponsored rural development programmes, said the spokesperson.
The restructured development blocks will come into effect upon publication of the notification in the official gazette, he said.
All stakeholders, including field officers, elected representatives, and the general public, have been duly informed.
Updated maps and administrative orders will be made available through the official website of the rural development department in due course, said the spokesperson.
