India News | Punjab Speaker Meets Governor, Opposes BBMB Rules Change
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana K P Singh on Monday met Governor Banwarilal Purohit and said the recent change in rules for the selection of two members of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) would be detrimental to the interests of Punjab and Haryana.
Chandigarh, Feb 28 (PTI) Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana K P Singh on Monday met Governor Banwarilal Purohit and said the recent change in rules for the selection of two members of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) would be detrimental to the interests of Punjab and Haryana.
Singh submitted a memorandum to the governor on the issue and requested him to take up it with the Centre.
The change in rules has started a controversy with several political leaders in Punjab strongly opposing the Centre's move. The BJP alleged a deliberate attempt by some leaders to create confusion on the matter.
The BBMB, which is a statutory body under the Punjab Reorganisation Act-1966 and manages the water resources of Sutlej and Beas, has a whole-time chairman and two members of irrigation and power.
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According to convention, the member (power) is always from Punjab and the member (irrigation) is from Haryana. They are selected from a panel of senior engineers.
But now the change in rules for selection allows anyone to apply for these posts.
Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt) chief Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa on Monday left for Delhi to meet Union Home minister Amit Shah to discuss the issue.
Dhindsa said the decision to “abolish” the representation of Punjab from the BBMB would "weaken" the federal structure of the country and hence the Union government should immediately reverse its decision.
"Punjab is already not getting an adequate supply of water and this discrimination has been continuously going on since the formation of Punjab," Dhindsa said in a statement.
BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh hit out at the Congress and the Akali leaders for their “misleading” statements on the working of the BBMB.
In a statement, Chugh said, “There was a deliberate attempt by some political leaders to create confusion and arouse public sentiments against the Centre.”
The “canard” being spread by the Congress has been exposed with the BBMB stating that there is no attempt to change the already existing system to give due representation to Punjab and Haryana, the BJP leader said.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)