Overview
- At Friday’s 50-year event in Panchkula, Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said BBMB’s Member (Power) and Member (Irrigation) should “preferably” come from Punjab and Haryana, with appointments from elsewhere only if no suitable local candidates are found.
- The Centre’s recent amendment to BBMB recruitment rules broadened eligibility to candidates from any state or organisation based on technical criteria, ending a long practice of filling the two posts with officers from Punjab and Haryana, which Punjab parties opposed.
- Rajasthan Water Resources Minister Suresh Singh Rawat sought a permanent full-time seat on the board, citing the state’s 52.96% share in Ravi–Beas waters and its heavy reliance on BBMB for irrigation and drinking water.
- Punjab minister Barinder Kumar Goyal objected to deploying the Central Industrial Security Force at BBMB sites in place of Punjab Police and warned against any encroachment on the state’s established role in BBMB decisions.
- Officials urged BBMB to add solar plants, pumped storage and battery systems, and to adopt real-time digital water monitoring to meet rising power demand and improve transparency across the dams it manages for partner states.