Centre amends BBMB rules, ends exclusive member rights for Punjab, Haryana

Chandigarh: The Centre has notified key amendments to the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) Rules, 1974, revising the eligibility criteria for two senior technical positions — member (irrigation) and member (power) — within the board, which earlier were reserved for officers from Punjab and Haryana.Political parties have dubbed the ministry of power's formal notification on Monday a "clear surrender" of Punjab's terminal rights and a direct attack on the federal structure. The primary objectionable change is the scrapping of the requirement that members be appointed exclusively from the partner states. While the new rules open the selection to any candidate fulfilling the eligibility criteria from across India, they merely state that "preference shall be given" to those with experience in the respective state govt. The opposition argues this is a nonbinding substitute for an assured right. A stiff experience bar has been set for these senior technical posts, which critics say acts as a barrier to state-cadre officers. Candidates for both positions must now possess "20 years of regular experience" and have served at least one year as a "chief engineer or equivalent" at "Level-14 of the Pay Matrix (Rs 1,44,200–2,18,200)". For the member (power) post, the candidate must have at least five years of work experience in the field of planning, design, construction, or operation and maintenance of "power plants or transmission lines (minimum voltage level of 66 kilovolts or higher)" during the last 10 years. For the member (irrigation) post, the criteria require five years of experience in "major and medium irrigation projects or large dams" within the same window. While the document specifies that "preference shall be given to such candidates who have experience working in the departments or sub-departments of the "Govt of Punjab" for the power post and the "Govt of Haryana" for the irrigation post, the opposition maintains this replaces a guaranteed right. This move comes amid long-drawn friction that ignited in Feb 2022, when the Centre first sought to move away from traditional state-specific appointments. That earlier shift resulted in the Punjab state assembly passing a unanimous resolution asserting that the BBMB was a product of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966, which mandated a specific balance of power. The resolution stated that by ending the exclusive appointments, the Centre was violating the statutory and federal spirit of the Act. MSID:: 130261242 413 |