‘Tough’ stance on Kishau dam project lays ground for victory in BBMB dues case: Himachal CM

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. | Photo credit: PTI

Hailing the Supreme Court’s verdict in the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) arrears case, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday (November 7, 2026) said the decision came in favor of the state because of the “tough” stand his government had taken during discussions on the Kishau dam project.

Mr. Sukhu said that during meetings with the Union Power Minister and officials, he had consistently raised the issue of tolls arising from BBMB projects and made it clear that Himachal Pradesh’s rights in the matter had to be resolved before further progress was made on the Kishau dam project.

He said the state had maintained that it would not share the cost of the 440 MW Kishau dam project and the Haryana government had assured to file an affidavit in favor of Himachal Pradesh in the Supreme Court to release arrears of its power share from the BBMB projects.

Ruling in favor of Himachal Pradesh, the Supreme Court on Friday (November 6, 2026) said the hill state will get 11,973 MU of electricity from Punjab and Haryana over 20 years. The settlement will be as per the Supreme Court’s 2011 verdict settling the power dues arising from the Bhakra Nangal and Beas hydro projects since 1966 of 7.19%.

Speaking to mediapersons here, Mr. Sukhu claimed that the arrears case, pending for the last 15 years, would have taken many more years to be decided if the government had not vigorously pursued it in the apex court.

He said the state government was looking for a better price for the sale of electricity obtained from BBMB. If electricity was sold at a rate of ₹6 per unit, the state could earn around ₹500 crore, but the government is working to secure a better power deal that could increase revenues to around ₹1,000 crore.

The Chief Minister said that the state government is moving forward to make Himachal Pradesh self-sufficient and expressed confidence that it will become the most prosperous state in the country by 2032.

Published – 07 Nov 2026 22:56 IST