Chandigarh, Sept 12 — The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) has told the Punjab and Haryana High Court that three Punjab engineers have “no locus standi” to challenge the eligibility criterion for the post of secretary, likening them to “private persons” with no standing in the Board’s internal matters.
Responding to a petition filed by three superintending engineers from Punjab — Ramandeep Singh Bains, Maninder Singh, and Kewal Krishan — the BBMB argued that as state employees and not Board officers, the petitioners cannot interfere with the appointment process. “The petitioners, being outsiders, have no locus standi to challenge the action of the respondent Board taken in the interest of the Board constituting internal functioning of an organisation,” the response said.
On August 27, the High Court had stayed the appointment process after the Punjab engineers alleged that the eligibility norms were “tailor-made” to favour Surinder Singh Mittal, an executive engineer from Haryana posted at BBMB. The matter will be next heard on October 14.
The petition is being seen against the backdrop of recent tensions between Punjab and Haryana over water-sharing, with Punjab refusing to release additional water to Haryana this summer despite court directions.
BBMB, however, rejected charges of bias. It said 31 applications had been received for the secretary’s post, of which 17 were shortlisted. The criterion, put in place for the first time since the post was created in 1976, was framed to streamline shortlisting on “restricted parameters”, the Board maintained.
The Board underlined that unlike the posts of chairman or whole-time members, the secretary’s appointment lies solely with the BBMB chairman, who is empowered to fix conditions and criteria. “Usually, experienced officers working in BBMB and possessing in-depth knowledge of the organisation are posted, but no one can claim posting as a matter of right,” it said.
On allegations of Haryana dominance in the selection process, the BBMB clarified that the committee comprised two members from Haryana, one from Punjab, and one from central government services. The officer selected would continue to belong to their parent cadre and return to it after serving as secretary, the Board noted.
Punjab has yet to file its reply to the petition.
