Chandigarh: The Punjab government has begun the process of creating a dedicated cadre of employees for the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) in an effort to resolve a long-standing manpower crunch that has affected the organisation for nearly two decades.
According to senior government sources, the move follows last year’s Cabinet approval to fill nearly 2,500 vacant posts falling under Punjab’s quota in the BBMB. The Department of Irrigation has since secured clearance from the Punjab Public Service Commission to initiate recruitment. Recruitment rules for the proposed BBMB cadre are currently being finalised, and an official notification is expected to be issued soon.
Sources said the government plans to fill part of the vacancies by redeploying surplus staff from various Punjab government departments, while the remaining posts will be filled through direct recruitment.
Officials explained that employees appointed under the BBMB cadre will be exclusively posted to BBMB projects and will not be part of the Punjab state cadre. In the past, officials drawn from Punjab’s irrigation and power departments were frequently deputed to BBMB but often sought transfers back to the state, resulting in chronic staffing gaps and operational instability.
Punjab holds a 52 per cent share in the BBMB and is entitled to a proportional share of posts in the organisation, which manages major water and power projects across Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan. However, the state has failed to fill its allotted posts for almost 20 years, leading to vacancies swelling to around 2,500 in recent times.
The staffing situation is likely to become more challenging, with nearly 330 BBMB employees scheduled to retire this year, sources added.
In the absence of adequate staff from Punjab, personnel from Haryana and Himachal Pradesh have increasingly occupied positions within BBMB, with Haryana holding several key posts. Haryana had constituted its own BBMB cadre around five years ago and has since ensured regular recruitment dedicated to the organisation.
The issue gained political and administrative prominence last year amid a dispute between Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and the BBMB over the release of Punjab’s share of water to Haryana. Officials believe Punjab’s limited representation in senior and technical roles weakened its influence within the board, which oversees the waters of the Sutlej and Beas rivers.
Sources further revealed that BBMB is currently facing a serious shortage of technical staff. As many as 1,486 technical posts are lying vacant, including 568 foreman positions. Foremen play a vital role in maintaining dams, turbines, gates and galleries, along with managing high-voltage power transmission infrastructure. Vacant technical posts now account for nearly 45 per cent of the total sanctioned strength of 3,297 technical positions.
Officials are hopeful that the creation of a separate BBMB cadre will not only resolve the persistent staffing crisis but also enhance Punjab’s administrative presence and improve the board’s overall operational efficiency.
