The Union Ministry of Power has extended the tenure of Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) Chairman Manoj Tripathi by three months.The extension comes even as two crucial whole-time posts in the organisation—Member (Irrigation) and Member (Power)—have remained vacant for years.The ad hocism in filling top posts has raised concerns over the functioning of the body responsible for managing one of North India’s most important water and power projects.According to an order issued by the Ministry of Power on Saturday, Tripathi’s tenure, which was to end on September 27, has been extended until December 27, or until a regular appointment is made, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.The posts of Member (Irrigation) and Member (Power) have remained vacant for nearly four years.The Member (Irrigation) post has been vacant since September 9, 2020, after the Haryana officer holding the position was reverted to his parent cadre. The Member (Power) post fell vacant on September 26, 2022. The latter is currently being looked after by the Chief Engineer (Generation) of BBMB as an additional charge.The Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) Engineers Association had urged the Centre to fill both posts on a regular basis, arguing that the prolonged vacancies were affecting the functioning of the board and were contrary to the framework under which BBMB was constituted.Vinod Gupta, spokesperson for the association, said that from the constitution of BBMB in 1966 until 2022, the board had functioned under an established arrangement in which the chairman was appointed by the Union government from outside the partner states, while the Member (Power) was generally from Punjab and the Member (Irrigation) from Haryana.The prolonged vacancies are linked to a February 23, 2022, notification issued by the Centre that opened the posts of Member (Power) and Member (Irrigation) to engineers from across the country instead of restricting them to the Punjab and Haryana cadres.Sources said both Punjab and Haryana had opposed the change, following which regular appointments to the posts did not materialise.All India Power Engineers Association chief patron Padamjit Singh has demanded that the 2022 notification be kept in abeyance and that permanent appointments be made without further delay. He said ad hoc arrangements could affect the functioning of the board and contribute to disputes over its working.Another proposal by the Centre has added to the controversy.The Union Ministry of Power has proposed amending Section 79(2)(a) of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966, to increase the number of whole-time members in BBMB from two to four, with one member each from Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh.Punjab has opposed the proposal, maintaining that BBMB was created in the wake of the reorganisation of Punjab primarily to deal with the rights and liabilities of the successor states.It has argued that Rajasthan is not a successor state under the Act and that both Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh already participate in BBMB meetings as ex-officio members.Punjab has also questioned the need for additional whole-time members when BBMB’s core responsibilities remain irrigation and power.It has questioned the constitutional validity of Sections 78 and 79 of the Act, which, according to the state, are already under challenge before the Supreme Court.