Shimla, Sept. 16 -- Pushing for the return of the 110MW Shanan hydroelectric project and clearing of pending arrears due from the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday urged Punjab and Haryana to "act as elder brothers". "Himachal Pradesh had to fight for its rightful share on several issues. Despite the expiry of the lease period of the Shanan hydroelectric project, it has not been given back to the state from Punjab and arrears due from the BBMB have also been delayed due to obstructions posed by Punjab and Haryana despite a Supreme Court decision," Sukhu said. The dispute between the neighbouring states is related to the British-era Shanan hydropower project at Jogindernagar of Mandi district. It was constructed in 1925 under the lease agreement executed between the then ruler of Mandi, Joginder Sen, and Col BC Batty, who represented the British government and served as the chief engineer of undivided Punjab. At present, the project is being operated by the Punjab government, while the Himachal government has been asking its neighbour to hand over the project to the state. In 1966, hilly areas of Punjab were merged into Himachal and it was ultimately granted full statehood in 1971. The Sukhu-led Congress government is also seeking the payment of arrears worth Rs.4,200 crore on account of the 7.19% share in the BBMB. "Punjab and Haryana are our elder brothers, and they should extend support generously to their younger brother," Sukhu said at the valedictory session of the two-day national cooperative conference in Shimla on Sunday evening. He also inaugurated the Cyber Security Operations Centre of the Himachal Pradesh State Cooperative Bank, while launching the bank's cooperative anthem and releasing a souvenir. The chief minister said that despite the challenging geography and small land holdings, cooperatives in Himachal Pradesh had been playing a crucial role in strengthening the rural economy. He said that the cooperative movement in Himachal Pradesh began in 1904 and received a major boost after full statehood in 1971. At present, over 5,000 cooperative societies were active in the state, including nearly 2,000 primary agricultural credit societies that provide essential financial services to farmers and rural households. Responding to a request from deputy chief minister Mukesh Agnihotri, he said that the state government would consider providing relaxations under Section 118 to cooperative societies for purchasing land for business purposes. He asked the State Cooperative Bank to introduce a one-time settlement policy to help small farmers, orchardists, workers, and traders become debt-free. Sukhu said that the state government had dissolved the Board of Kangra Central Cooperative Bank due to irregularities during the previous regime. He said that the Congress government was bringing major reforms in education, health and the rural economy sectors. Despite suffering losses of nearly Rs.20,000 crore due to natural calamities over the past three years, he said the state had continued to sustain the pace of development....