Now Reading: Punjab nears settlement on Himachal’s BBMB arrears, Centre tells Supreme Court
-
01
Punjab nears settlement on Himachal’s BBMB arrears, Centre tells Supreme Court
Punjab nears settlement on Himachal’s BBMB arrears, Centre tells Supreme Court
Punjab is close to accepting a Centre-backed cashless settlement of Himachal Pradesh’s dues from Bhakra Beas Management Board projects, the Centre told the Supreme Court on Wednesday. The bench, headed by Chief…
The Story in Brief
Punjab is close to accepting a Centre-backed cashless settlement of Himachal Pradesh’s dues from Bhakra Beas Management Board projects, the Centre told the Supreme Court on Wednesday. The bench, headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant, listed the matter for August 20. Himachal and Haryana have agreed in principle, while Punjab had objected to the proposed electricity rate.
The proposal would settle arrears of 13,066 million units through energy transfers rather than cash. Himachal would not pay about Rs 420 crore in dues to Punjab and Haryana, with that amount adjusted against the electricity arrears. The Centre said Himachal’s 7.19% share was fixed by the Supreme Court in 2011. Himachal Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has put pending dues at about Rs 4,200 crore. He has also linked clearance of the arrears to Himachal’s approval of the 422 MW Kishau dam project.
The Indian Opinion
Claims that Punjab is simply refusing Himachal its rightful share ignore the state’s stated objection to the proposed Rs 2.5-per-unit rate and its estimated Rs 2,000 crore loss. Equally, treating a court-recognised entitlement as a political bargaining chip misses the long delay since the 2011 decree. A cashless formula may avoid another inter-state standoff, but the August 20 hearing should show whether Punjab accepts the rate and how the 13,066 million units will be accounted for.
Sources (2): hindustantimes.com, hindustantimes.com (2)
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
