CHANDIGARH: Strongly opposing the proposed inclusion of Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh as permanent members of the Bhakra Beas Management Board ( BBMB), the Jago Punjab said today it would be another act of great injustice with Punjab which has been a victim of discrimination of the Central Government for the past many decades.
In a statement issued here today, Jago Punjab Chairman Swarn Singh Boparai said that the reported move of the Central Government in this regard should be strongly opposed by the Punjab Government at all forums. He said that it had been reported that the Central Government wanted to amend the Section 79(2) of the Punjab Reorganisation of Act, 1966 to include Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh in the BBMB as permanent members. He said that Rajasthan had nothing to do with the reorganisation of Punjab. Hence, it could not be made part of this Act.
The Jago Punjab said that the state Government had filed a Suit 2 in the Supreme Court of India challenging vires of Sections 78 and 79 of the Punjab Reorganization Act, 1966. The matter is sub-judice. The Centre should not carry out amendment to the Act during the pendency of the case.The Punjab Reorganization Act, initially created the "Bhakra Management Board "focused on managing the existing Bhakra-Nangal Project. This already represented a substantial transfer of control from Punjab. Through an amendment to the Punjab Reorganization Act in 1974, the Beas Project was brought under the same central management system. The Board was renamed " Bhakra Beas Management Board " . Additional projects were also incorporated under Central Control.
The expansion raises a significant constitutional question that is "incremental Federal Erosion " - to continuously expand central control over the state resources by further diluting the control of Punjab over its river waters and dams raised over these rivers.We also urge upon the Honorable Supreme Court of India for early hearing of the case in which Punjab has challenged inclusion of Sections 78 and 79 in the Punjab Reorganization Act, 1966. The Jago Punjab considers that section of 78 and 79 of the reorganisation are hugely loaded against Punjab.