New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday pulled up the Punjab govt for opposing the Centre’s proposed cashless settlement of Himachal Pradesh’s long-pending dues from the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), asking it to clarify its stand within two weeks.A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant was informed by the Centre that it had evolved an amicable formula to settle Himachal’s claim for 13,066 million units (MU) of electricity arrears dating back to 1966. Under the proposal, Punjab and Haryana would compensate Himachal in energy instead of cash, while Himachal’s liability of about Rs 420 crore towards capital costs payable to the two states would be adjusted against the arrears.The Centre told the court that a cashless settlement was the only practical solution as the partner states had failed to agree on the electricity tariff applicable to the dues.The bench recorded that Himachal and Haryana had agreed in principle to the proposal, but Punjab had objected over the rate at which the arrears would be valued. Senior advocate Nidesh Gupta, appearing for Punjab, said the proposed rate of Rs 2.5 per unit would leave the state poorer by nearly Rs 2,000 crore.The court criticised Punjab’s stand, observing that it had a habit of not complying with court decrees. “Himachal Pradesh does not have that many sources for revenue generation like Punjab and Haryana. River flows from the state and dams are situated there,” the bench observed, adding that if Punjab did not agree to an amicable settlement, it would decide the dispute on merits.The matter will next be heard on Aug 12. pti
