Chandigarh, March 22: A new administrative conflict has surfaced between the Punjab government and the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) regarding the ownership of land in key project townships. The state government has formally asserted that the BBMB lacks the legal authority to frame lease policies for properties located in areas such as Nangal and Talwara.
The Punjab Water Resources Department issued a communication to the BBMB Chairman stating that lands within these townships belong to the state rather than the board. This move is intended to stop the BBMB from leasing out properties to private occupants under a newly proposed policy.
Legal experts for the state referred to the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966, to support their claim. They maintained that under Section 48(1) of the Act, land from the former state of Punjab vests with the successor state in which it is situated. The state argued that the BBMB’s mandate is limited to the operation and maintenance of the Bhakra-Nangal and Beas project works.
“BBMB can manage only those properties which are necessary for discharging its functions,” the department stated in the letter. The communication further declared that any land beyond that specific operational scope remains under the direct control of the state government.
The state also pointed to a 2014 report by Neerja Mathur, former Chairperson of the Central Electricity Authority, which was accepted by the Union Government in 2016. That report affirmed that while land essential to project works stays with the BBMB, surplus land should be administered by the respective state governments. Punjab officials noted that since this report has not been challenged, the board is bound by its conclusions.
