Centre Seeks States’ Views on Creating Top Posts for Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan in BBMB

Chairperson and full-time members are permanent employees of the board

The Union Ministry of Power has sought feedback from the four partner states of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) on a proposal to increase the number of its full-time members from the current two—representing Punjab and Haryana—to four, by including Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. These positions are the most senior posts in the board after the Chairperson.

“In view of multiple representations and requests received from Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh for increasing the number of full-time members in BBMB, it is proposed to amend Section 79(2)(a) of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966, to raise the number of full-time members from two to four,” the BBMB desk of the Power Ministry wrote in a letter dated October 10 to the governments of Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Himachal Pradesh.

Under the proposed amendment, the board would comprise one full-time Chairperson and four full-time members—one each from Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Himachal Pradesh—appointed in a manner prescribed by the central government.

Currently, Section 79(2)(a) provides for one full-time Chairperson and two full-time members, both appointed by the Centre. In addition, each of the four partner states—Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Himachal Pradesh—nominates one representative, along with two representatives from the central government.

The present Chairperson is Manoj Tripathi, while the two full-time members are Bijendra Singh (Irrigation) and Jagjit Singh (Power). They oversee BBMB’s core responsibilities, which include regulating water supplies from the Bhakra Dam on the Sutlej and the Pong Dam on the Beas in Himachal Pradesh, as well as power generation at various associated facilities.

The Chairperson and full-time members are permanent employees of BBMB. Since the board’s inception, one full-time member has traditionally been selected from Punjab and the other from Haryana.

The six other members are senior bureaucrats representing the central and state governments. They are tasked with presenting their respective states’ interests and requirements concerning water and power allocations.

According to sources, both Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan—being partner states in BBMB—have for some time been demanding a greater role in the board’s management. However, if the proposal to create two new posts is approved, the specific roles and responsibilities of the new members are yet to be defined.

Meanwhile, some sections in Punjab and Haryana have opposed the move, arguing that it could dilute their influence over BBMB operations, despite their larger share in the project’s water and power resources. The allocation of these resources among the member states is governed by a fixed formula.

In 2022, a proposal to amend the rules for appointing the Chairperson and full-time members sparked controversy because the revised rules did not require appointees to be domiciled in a particular state. The amended rules clarified that any qualified individual, regardless of state of origin, could be appointed to these positions.