BBMB Victory Built on Decades of Effort, Say Dhumal, Shanta Kumar
Former Himachal Pradesh Chief Ministers Prem Kumar Dhumal and Shanta Kumar have said the Supreme Court verdict in the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) dispute is the result of a decades-long struggle by successive governments and political leaders, and should not be credited to any one government.
Welcoming the Supreme Court’s November 6, 2026 decision, Dhumal said the ruling reaffirmed the September 27, 2011 judgment and would pave the way for Himachal Pradesh to receive 11,973 million units of electricity over the next 20 years towards settlement of its outstanding dues.
Dhumal recalled that following the 2011 verdict, the state had calculated pending dues at around ₹4,300 crore. However, with the amount remaining unpaid, Himachal was forced to return to the Supreme Court to seek implementation of the judgment.
He credited the sustained legal efforts made over the years, particularly by successive BJP governments, as well as cooperation from the Central Government, for taking the matter forward.
Shanta Kumar traced Himachal’s fight for its rights even further back, recalling his first tenure as Chief Minister in 1977. He said he had approached then Prime Minister Morarji Desai to raise Himachal’s claims under the Punjab Reorganisation Act.
Following discussions involving Punjab and Haryana, Himachal Pradesh was granted 15 MW of electricity from Bhakra as an interim arrangement, he recalled.
Shanta Kumar also highlighted efforts during his tenure to establish the principle of royalty on water used for hydropower generation. He said then Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao eventually accepted Himachal’s demand despite initial objections that such an arrangement had no precedent elsewhere in the country. The decision, he said, created a lasting source of revenue for the hill state.
Both former Chief Ministers acknowledged that Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu pursued the latest matter before the Supreme Court, but said the contributions of earlier governments and leaders should also be recognised.
Dhumal urged the present government to similarly pursue Himachal’s other pending claims, including the Shanan Hydroelectric Project, whose 1924 agreement completed 100 years in 2024, as well as other assets and properties that the state claims as its rightful share.
The BJP veterans said the BBMB ruling should ultimately be viewed as a collective victory for the people of Himachal Pradesh and an important milestone in the state’s long struggle to secure its financial and energy rights.
