Shimla: After securing a significant breakthrough in the Kishau Multipurpose Project, the Himachal Pradesh Government has stepped up efforts to recover the state’s long-pending financial dues from the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB).
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has taken up the matter with the Union Government and held a detailed telephonic discussion with Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and sought the Centre’s intervention to ensure that Himachal Pradesh receives its statutory share and pending arrears from the BBMB. He said the state had been waiting for its legitimate rights for several years and urged the Union Government to facilitate an early resolution of the issue.
During the discussion, the Chief Minister made it clear that Himachal Pradesh would move forward with the Kishau Multipurpose Project only after the Haryana Government gives its explicit consent regarding its share of the BBMB arrears and files an affidavit to this effect before the Supreme Court. He maintained that it would not be appropriate to expect Himachal Pradesh to extend cooperation on new projects while its own rightful claims remained unresolved.
Sukhu said that despite repeated requests, both Punjab and Haryana have failed to ensure that Himachal Pradesh receives its lawful share from the BBMB. He asserted that the state government was committed to protecting the interests of the people of Himachal Pradesh and would continue to pursue all legal and administrative measures to secure its dues.
According to the Chief Minister, the Supreme Court had nearly 15 years ago recognised Himachal Pradesh’s entitlement to a 7.19 per cent share in BBMB projects and the benefits arising from them. However, despite the court’s ruling, the state has allegedly been deprived of its share of 13,066 million units of electricity and the corresponding financial benefits for more than a decade.
He said the state government is now taking all necessary legal and administrative steps to recover approximately ₹4,200 crore in pending dues from the BBMB. “This amount rightfully belongs to the people of Himachal Pradesh, and the government is determined to recover every rupee of it,” he said.
The Union Power Minister assured the Chief Minister that he would take up the matter with the Chief Ministers of Haryana and Punjab and initiate necessary steps to safeguard Himachal Pradesh’s statutory rights and help resolve the long-pending issue.
The BBMB arrears have remained one of the state’s most significant inter-state financial disputes. The Himachal Pradesh Government has consistently maintained that while the state contributes substantially to hydropower generation through its natural resources, it has not received its rightful share of electricity and financial benefits under the existing arrangements. The issue has repeatedly figured in discussions between the state and the Centre, with the present government making its resolution a key priority.
Referring to the Kishau Multipurpose Project, Sukhu recalled that his government had rejected the earlier agreement in 2023 under which Himachal Pradesh would have been required to bear a substantial portion of the power generation cost. He said the revised arrangement would enable the state to receive around ₹600 crore in annual revenue without making any financial investment, describing it as a major success in safeguarding Himachal Pradesh’s financial interests.
The Chief Minister reiterated that while the state supports the development of major hydropower projects, it would continue to insist that its pending rights and financial claims, particularly the BBMB arrears, are settled before extending cooperation on future ventures.
