Digital Desk |
Shimla, Nov 10 (IANS) Former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal on Tuesday hailed the Supreme Court’s decision regarding outstanding dues of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), describing it as a historic achievement for the people of the state and the culmination of a decades-long struggle to secure the rightful share.
Dhumal said the credit and benefits of this landmark decision “belong to the entire population of Himachal Pradesh rather than to any individual or political party”.
He emphasised that the historical facts surrounding the BBMB dispute must be placed before the public so that the contributions of successive governments are clearly understood.
Recalling the history of the dispute, Dhumal said in a statement that following the reorganisation of Punjab on November 1, 1966, a decision was taken to distribute assets and liabilities among Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh in proportion to their populations.
At that time, Congress governments were in power in all three states. However, when crucial decisions concerning BBMB were being taken, no representative of the Himachal Pradesh government attended the important meeting.
He alleged that the Congress leadership failed to recognise the significance of these decisions, resulting in substantial losses to Himachal Pradesh and depriving the state of its legitimate rights for decades.
Dhumal said when the Janata Party formed governments at the Centre and in Himachal Pradesh in 1977, the then Prime Minister Morarji Desai decided to provide 15 MW of electricity to Himachal Pradesh and constituted a committee to examine the remaining issues.
However, after the Congress returned to power in 1980, the matter was once again neglected.
He said during the 1990s, the Bharatiya Janata Party revived the issue and organised an Adhikar Yatra to Delhi, receiving support from the party’s central leadership.
Subsequently, the principle of providing 12 per cent free electricity to states hosting hydroelectric projects was accepted by the Central government.
However, Himachal Pradesh continued to remain deprived of its rightful benefits from the three major BBMB projects — Bhakra Nangal, Pong Dam and the Beas-Sutlej Link Project — as they had been established during the 1960s.
Dhumal recalled the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh filed a case before the Supreme Court in 1996 seeking the state’s legitimate share.
When the BJP-Himachal Vikas Congress coalition government assumed office in 1998, the matter was pursued seriously before the apex court.
He said after the BJP returned to power in 2007, the state government engaged senior advocates, deployed officials in Delhi and ensured effective legal representation to safeguard Himachal Pradesh’s interests.
“These sustained efforts resulted in the historic Supreme Court judgment of September 27, 2011, which upheld Himachal Pradesh’s rights and directed payment of outstanding dues dating back to November 1, 1966,” Dhumal added.
He also noted that following the 2011 judgment, the then BJP government calculated the outstanding dues and raised a demand of around Rs 4,300 crore.
However, he alleged that the Congress-led Central government did not extend the necessary cooperation, and the outstanding amount remained unpaid.
Consequently, Himachal Pradesh had to approach the Supreme Court again to seek implementation of the judgment.
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