'Tough' stance on Kishau Dam project laid ground for victory in BBMB dues case: Himachal CM

Hailing the Supreme Court verdict in the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) arrears case, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday (November 7, 2026) said that the decision came in the State's favour on account of the "tough" stance his government took 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 dues arising from BBMB projects and made it clear that the rights of Himachal Pradesh in the matter must be resolved before any further progress was made on the Kishau Dam project.

He said the State asserted that it would not share the cost of the 440-MW Kishau Dam project, and the Haryana government assured that it would file an affidavit in the Supreme Court in favour of Himachal Pradesh for the release of arrears of its power share from BBMB projects.

Ruling in favour of Himachal Pradesh, the Supreme Court on Friday (November 6, 2026) said the hill State would get 11,973 MU of electricity from Punjab and Haryana over 20 years. The arrangement will be as per a 2011 Supreme Court verdict settling power dues arising out of Bhakra Nangal and Beas hydro projects since 1966 at the rate of 7.19%.

Talking to media persons here, Mr. Sukhu claimed that the case of arrears, pending for the past 15 years, would have taken many more years to decide if the government had not pursued it vigorously in the top court.

He said that the State government is exploring a better price to sell the electricity received from the BBMB. If the electricity is sold at the rate of ₹6 per unit, the State could earn around ₹500 crore, but the government is working towards securing a better power agreement that could increase the revenue to approximately ₹1,000 crore.

The Chief Minister said that the State government was moving ahead with the aim of making Himachal Pradesh self-reliant and expressed confidence that it would become the most prosperous State in the country by 2032.