Recently, the central government took a decision that went under the radars of most casual observers, and it has some deep ramifications when it comes to the politics of Punjab. This issue arose when the centre decided to amend the rules regarding the appointments to two key positions of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB). Almost all political parties in Punjab except for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have expressed their disapproval of the decision. The political parties and farmers seem to have been affected by the changes, and some apprehensions need to be clarified.
What is Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB)?
The origins of the BBMB lie in the Indus Water Treaty signed between India and Pakistan in 1960. After creating the state of Haryana, the Bhakra Beas Management Board came into being under the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966. The day-to-day workings of the Bhakra Nangal project were handed over to Bhakra Management in 1967. The Bhakra Management Board was renamed the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) on May 15, 1976. The BBMB has ever since regulated water and power supply to five states and a union territory.
What changes have been made?
On February 23, 2022, GOI issued a notification to amend the BBMB rules of 1974, changing the criteria for selecting full-time members to the board. According to these new rules, a technical educational qualification has been specified for appointments. In addition, more emphasis has been put on the selection to be carried out indiscriminately from India, not just from Punjab and Haryana.
Objections to the rules
Engineers, farmers and political parties have voiced their protests over the new rules saying that the technical qualifications have been made so stringent that no engineer would qualify for appointment. The parties also accused that this was a conspiracy to hire more personnel outside of Punjab and Haryana. Congress, AAP, and SAD have called these rule change an attack on the country’s federal structure. Farmers’ groups have vowed to protest against these rules if they are not taken back. Senior Congress leader Sunil Jakhar urged CM Charanjit Singh Channi to formally lead a delegation to the Prime Minister to oppose these rules changes. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) have urged the BJP from refraining against changing rules arbitrarily.
The political angle
The political parties continue to claim that these rule changes only seek to hire more personnel from outside of Punjab and Haryana and that they affect the prospects of Punjab to remove the state from the board. In 2018, the chairperson was nominated from Himachal Pradesh despite all previous chairpersons being from outside member states to ensure neutrality in all matters. The Samyukt Samaj Morcha has said that the government needs to ensure that the member’s position from Punjab is permanent. If not, the party will launch an agitation against the laws. Some farmers’ groups have also announced protests over this on March 7.
