The Ministry of Power on Monday notified key amendments to the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) Rules, 1974, revising the eligibility criteria for two senior technical positions — Member (Irrigation) and Member (Power) — within the board.The notification comes under powers vested in the Central Government through Section 97 of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966, and takes effect immediately upon publication.What this meansThe rules practically end the dominance of Punjab and Haryana in Member (Power) and Member (Irrigation) posts, which earlier were reserved for officers from Punjab and Haryana respectively. Stiff experience bar has been set for these senior technical posts.The recruitment conditions state that Punjab and Haryana officers will get preference in the appointment to the two posts but that’s not a blanket assurance that the posts will be filled with officials from these two states, as was the case in the past.What new criteria say on Member (Irrigation) BBMBCandidates applying for the post of Member (Irrigation) must hold an engineering degree in Civil or Mechanical Engineering from a recognised university. They must have at least 20 years of regular experience including a minimum of one year at the level of Chief Engineer or an equivalent senior post — either under the Central Government (Level-14, pay matrix Rs. 1,44,200–2,18,200), a State Government or State Public Sector Undertaking, or a Central PSU carrying a pay scale of Rs. 1,50,000–3,00,000 or higher.In addition, applicants must demonstrate at least five years of work experience within the last ten years in the planning, design, construction, or operation and maintenance of major irrigation systems.New rules for Member (Power) BBMBMember (Power) post will now require an engineering degree in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering, along with the same 20-year experience threshold at Chief Engineer level or above.Candidates must also show five years of relevant experience in the last decade in either power plant operations or transmission line infrastructure at a minimum voltage level of 66 kilovolts or above. For this post, preference will be accorded to candidates with experience in Punjab State Government departments or undertakings.Significance of new notificationThe BBMB is a critical inter-state body that oversees the management and distribution of waters and power generated from the Bhakra-Nangal and Beas projects — vital resources shared between Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, and Delhi. The revised norms are seen as an effort to ensure that senior technical positions on the board are filled by candidates with robust, domain-specific field experience.Why Punjab will be concernedPunjab had vehemently opposed open recruitment rules for top BBMB posts in 2022 when the Centre first announced the shift, ending the dominance of Punjab officers on BBMB posts. Although the notification grants preference to Punjab in appointment of Member (Power) BBMB, there’s no guarantee of recruitment as in the past.Punjab may see it as an infringement of rights by the Centre. The Centre, however, says the idea is to ensure highly talented individuals in technical positions. Officials say competition will promote excellence and Punjab and Haryana will still have preference in posts.