Panjab Raises Concerns over BBMB Mismanagement

The Panjab government has raised concerns over ‘systemic mismanagement’ of the Beas Satluj Link (BSL) Project and the 990 MW capacity Dehar Power House by the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB). A letter by the Water Resources Department, Panjab addressed to the Chairman, BBMB has demanded an independent, time-bound audit of the BSL Project and Dehar Power House operations beginning from the 2023 filling season. The letter states that the balancing reservoir at Sundernagar, Himachal Pradesh has suffered from excessive silt deposition owing to inadequate dredging over the last two years. This has disrupted optimal water diversion into the Satluj river. This mismanagement allegedly forced the BSL system to operate below capacity during crucial months of May to September 2025, causing ripple effects across multiple hydropower assets leading to a generation loss of USD 25M during this period. The government further alleged that due to reduced diversion of Beas river water into the BSL system, Pong Dam water levels rose reaching 1376 ft (30 ft above the seasonal levels) and that this imbalance would compromise irrigation and drinking water supplies, including to other states. Meanwhile, after a Punjab and Haryana High Court judgment, the BBMB has started eviction proceedings against 63 property occupants in the township of Nangal. The BBMB had given project land on lease to private individuals when the Bhakra dam was being built in the 1960s. Thousands of people, facing eviction from their houses or shops, have started approaching the Panjab government. Panjab minister Harjot Singh Bains said, ‘The Panjab government would put up a proposal in the BBMB board to bring in a proposal for the one-time settlement of the lease problem of Nangal residents’. Additionally, the Indian union government said that over 64% of Panjab’s sanctioned posts in the BBMB remain vacant. Out of the 4,918 posts sanctioned for Panjab in the BBMB, only 1,756 were filled as of July 2025. The Panjab government took administrative steps to strengthen its BBMB presence last month by approving the creation of a dedicated cadre of 2,458 employees for deployment within the BBMB. This move is expected to reduce dependency on staff deputed from Panjab’s Water Resources Department and Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (earlier coverage).