Category: News
Himachal Pradesh has won a decades-old power battle in the Supreme Court. The court has directed the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) to release the state’s long-pending share of 11,973 million units of electricity, with immediate effect, including the arrears from the previous period.
Advocate General Anup Kumar Rattan said in Shimla on Friday, 6 November 2026, that the state is expected to gain between ₹600 crore and ₹800 crore every year from the verdict. He described the Supreme Court’s decision as a “Diwali gift” to Himachal Pradesh, saying it would significantly strengthen the state’s financial position.
A dispute pending since 1996
The dispute over Himachal Pradesh’s share in BBMB projects had been pending before the Supreme Court since 1996 — nearly 30 years. The state was earlier expected to receive monetary compensation in place of its share of electricity. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu decided that Himachal Pradesh should receive electricity instead of cash, considering the rising demand for power and the prevailing market rates.
The Supreme Court has now directed the BBMB to release the state’s electricity share with immediate effect, including the arrears.
How much will the state earn?
The Chief Minister said the state would receive power every year for 20 years under the arrangement. Reports differ slightly on the exact annual figure — one report puts it at 60 crore units a year, another at 55 crore units — and the expected income depends on the price at which the power is sold. If the electricity is sold at ₹6 per unit, the state could earn around ₹500 crore a year; if power purchase agreements are signed with other states at higher rates, on the lines of the Rajasthan deal at ₹15.50 per unit, the annual revenue could reach about ₹1,000 crore. The Advocate General’s estimate of ₹600–800 crore a year sits within that range.
The Chief Minister said the arrangement could generate income of ₹10,000 crore to ₹20,000 crore over the 20-year period. He called it the fourth major success of the state government in protecting the state’s interests, after Wildflower Hall, JSW and the Kishau Dam, and congratulated the state’s nearly 75 lakh people and 24 lakh families.
BJP: credit belongs to successive governments
The BJP welcomed the verdict but objected to the Chief Minister claiming exclusive credit for it. BJP state media in-charge and Shri Naina Devi MLA Randhir Sharma said the BBMB matter had been before the Supreme Court since 1996 and that successive governments, irrespective of party, had pursued Himachal Pradesh’s legitimate interests, including its 7.19% share in the BBMB projects. He said the outcome was the result of collective efforts over several decades, not the achievement of any single government.
Sources: ANI (via APNA MA TV), 6 November 2026; IANS (via Hi India), 6 November 2026; The North News, 6 November 2026; Public Updates 24, 6 November 2026.
