Despite stiff opposition from Punjab, BBMB prepares to house CISF personnel

Even as the Punjab Government and Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann have vehemently opposed the deployment of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) in the Bhakra project, the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) has started making preparations for housing the CISF personnel in its Nangal township.

The BBMB management, in a letter issued to its officials in Nangal, has earmarked the houses to be given for the accommodation of the CISF personnel in its Nangal township. The houses have been earmarked in the CC, HH, H, GG and DD blocks of the township.

The employees of the BBMB, who are residing in the said blocks, have been told to vacate the earmarked houses. The employees have been told that they would be allotted accommodation in other parts of the Nangal township.

The BBMB management in Nangal has been told to get the houses in the said blocks vacated and issue tenders for the repair and maintenance of the houses to be issued for the CISF personnel.

The BBMB officials have been told to provide family accommodation for 142 personnel in the Nangal township, including one commandant, two assistant commandants, three inspectors, eight sub-inspectors, 20 assistant sub-inspectors, 35 head constables and 73 constables. The remaining CISF personnel would be deployed in the Talwara township of the BBMB, the sources here said.

Meanwhile, employees of the BBMB, who are residing in the houses earmarked for the CISF, have written to the management against the vacation orders. The employees have said that they have modified the houses in which they were living by spending money from their pockets. The BBMB management should house the CISF personnel in vacant houses rather that telling the employees to vacate houses, the employees have written to the BBMB management.

As per the full board decision of the BBMB taken in 2021, in which the Punjab Government had also given its assent, the Union Home Ministry has decided to deploy 296 CISF personal for the security of the Bhakra project. The Union Home Ministry has asked the BBMB to deposit about Rs 8 crore as charges for the deployment of the CISF in the organisation.

Despite the assent given by the state in 2021, the CM Bhagwant Singh Mann had said that the state would oppose the deployment of the CISF personnel in the Bhakra project.

Presently, the security of Bhakra Dam and other installations of the BBMB was with the Himachal Pradesh and Punjab Police. More than 200 personnel of the Himachal Police were deployed for the security of the BBMB dams that were located in the territorial jurisdiction of Himachal Pradesh. Punjab has about 15 police personal posted in the BBMB that guard the Nangal dam and township areas that are located in the territorial jurisdiction of Punjab.

The local organisations have also opposed the deployment of the CISF in the Bhakra Dam project. Resident associations and local farmer organisations have opposed the deployment of the CISF personnel in the Bhakra project. They have alleged that things might become difficult for them in case the CISF was deployed. People here were comfortable with the local police but fear that the Central force might make their movements in areas of dams areas difficult.

Punjab