Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Cheema said on Thursday that the state government was pursuing the recovery of long-standing dues to the state by other partner states in the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB). He said that as part of this exercise, the government had sought Rs 113 crore from Haryana.
Criticising the previous governments in the state, Cheema said their neglect of Punjab's interests in the BBMB allowed other states to draw more than their allocated share of water and dill-dally on timely payments.
Addressing the media at Punjab Bhawan, Cheema said the Punjab government had formally addressed these critical issues with the defaulting states. “Punjab’s long-standing BBMB liability, amounting to Rs 113.24 crore, has now been officially forwarded to the Haryana Government for settlement,” he said.
Cheema said a thorough reconciliation process had confirmed the outstanding amounts. “These include Rs 103.92 crore due to the XEN BML Canal Division, Patiala, and Rs 9.32 crore for the Mansa Canal Division, Jawaharke, all pertaining to the reimbursement of the actual expenditures incurred on the operation and maintenance of common carrier channels of the Bhakra systems,” said Cheema.
On the BBMB's request for funds to deploy the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Cheema said the Punjab Vidhan Sabha had unanimously passed a resolution opposing the move. He said this resolution, which had been sent to both the Centre and the BBMB, had reposed full confidence in the capability of the Punjab Police to secure BBMB assets. The government's proactive stance is aimed at protecting and upholding the rights of Punjab and its people.
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