Shimla: Himachal Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has urged the Centre to provide 12 percent free power to Himachal Pradesh from all Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) projects, asserting that the state has long been deprived of its rightful share. In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister stated that while all hydro projects approved by the Himachal Pradesh Government provide free power to the state, BBMB projects have not contributed any such benefit.
“The state has suffered and did not get its due. This historical wrong can be corrected now with your intervention by providing 12 percent free power from BBMB projects to Himachal Pradesh,” Sukhu wrote in his letter to the Prime Minister.
Sukhu emphasised that Himachal’s hydropower potential was significantly utilised during the development of BBMB projects, but the state was left without proportional returns. He maintained that granting free power would be a fair step toward correcting the historical imbalance.
In a separate letter to Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, the Chief Minister requested one percent additional free power from the Nathpa Jhakri Power Project, managed by SJVNL, for the Local Area Development Fund. He pointed out that the Rampur Power Project already follows this model, and adopting the same for Nathpa Jhakri would benefit the families affected by the project.
Additionally, Sukhu has demanded that Himachal Pradesh be given representation in the BBMB by appointing a whole-time member from the state. He said that despite repeated appeals at various levels, the state has not received its due representation in the decision-making process of the BBMB.
In a third letter, addressed to Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Sukhu urged the Haryana Government to provide written consent for settling energy arrears due from BBMB’s share. These arrears, amounting to 13,066 million units from November 1966 to October 2011, are to be shared between Punjab and Haryana. Sukhu proposed that the arrears be repaid to Himachal Pradesh over a 15-year period, at the rate of 871 million units per year, with six percent interest.
“A resolution on this matter would enable both our States to move forward on the projects in pipeline and also projects under consideration to address the needs of Haryana,” Sukhu added.
With Himachal Pradesh facing a severe financial crisis, the Chief Minister’s latest efforts appear to be part of a broader strategy to reclaim lost hydropower benefits and strengthen the state’s economic standing.
