Union power minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday said the posts of Member (Power) and Member (Irrigation) in the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) would “preferably” be filled by candidates from Punjab and Haryana.
Speaking at the 51st foundation day celebrations of the BBMB at Panchkula, Khattar said the necessary clause has been incorporated in the recruitment rules to address the interests of the states.
“We would give preference to candidates from Punjab and Haryana for selection to these posts, but in case no suitable candidate is available from these states, BBMB will have no choice but to appoint candidates from elsewhere,” Khattar said.
As a matter of practice, Member (Power) was a senior technical officer on deputation to BBMB from Punjab and Member (Irrigation) similarly was from Haryana. The appointment rules did not mention the state to which the members, who are responsible for the day-to-day functioning of the board, are supposed to be drawn from. In addition, every member state of BBMB – Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi – nominates a member to the board, usually a senior state government bureaucrat.
Recently, the central government amended the rules, mentioning that the members can be appointed from any state or organisation provided they possess the required technical qualifications and meet the prescribed eligibility criteria. Punjab had objected to this, claiming that it was against the interests of the state.
Pointing out that as a central minister he has to keep the interest of all states in mind and not just that of Haryana, of which he was the chief minister earlier, he said that every state has its own rights concerning water and power, which should be dealt with compassion and cooperation. In case of any ambiguity where there is no clear-cut calculation, adjustments have to be made, which could be like a “family tradition” where a younger member is given a bit more by reducing the share of an elder.
Speaking on the occasion earlier, Punjab water resources minister, Barinder Kumar Goyal, while raising the issue of Punjab’s rights, said that recent development like deploying the Central Industrial Security Force at BBMB projects instead of the Punjab Police and amending the recruitment rules was unwarranted.
Goyal said there have never been any complaints about the role of Punjab Police or the Member (Power) being from Punjab and these developments have upset the people of Punjab. He rooted for a bigger role by Punjab in managing the waters of the rivers that flow through the state, pointing out that it was ensuring availability of water to other states and was also responsible for flood control.
Pointing out that Haryana is dependent on waters from BBMB not only for irrigation but also for drinking, the state’s minister for irrigation and water resources, Shruti Choudhry, while responding to Goyal’s remarks, said that there was no reason to create any fear and if we act responsibly, people would not be misinformed and we should not resort to politics for everything.
Rajasthan’s minister for water resources, Suresh Singh Rawat, while giving an overview of the water situation in the state and related developmental works, urged BBMB to adopt more scientific methods and technology in its functioning and explore new avenues for green power generation.
Manoj Tripathi, Chaiman, BBMB, traced the genesis of the organisation and its evolution over the years and highlighted its contributions in the field of power generation, water management and flood control.
