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Talks on to find solution: Haryana CM on Punjab’s ₹113.24-crore Bhakra upkeep bill
Nayab Singh Saini visits Sunam in Punjab, the birthplace of Shaheed Udham Singh, to pay tributes on freedom fighter’s 86th martyrdom anniversary.
A day after Punjab’s AAP government sent a bill of ₹113.24 crore to his BJP government for the operation and maintenance of the Bhakra canal, Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini on Thursday said that talks were on with the neighbouring state to find a solution.
Speaking to reporters during his visit to Sunam in Punjab, the birthplace of freedom fighter Shaheed Udham Singh, Saini sought to downplay the issue and said: “Discussions are going on (between the two states) and the solution will be found by sitting together.”
Saini, who arrived before his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, paid floral tributes at the freedom fighter’s memorial on his 86th martyrdom anniversary and met members of his family, saying his sacrifice and dedication would continue to inspire generations. The chief minister also planted a sapling at the memorial, a Haryana government spokesperson said.
Finance minister Cheema said on Wednesday that the bill represents pending liability and the Aam Aadmi Party 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.
The announcement came close on the heels of the BBMB making 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 it, 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 a 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. The 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.
