India, April 1 -- The water cess bill, which was recently passed by the Himachal Pradesh assembly to mop up about Rs 4,000 crore revenue, has left Punjab and Haryana - which would be impacted with it - fuming and fretting. Both of them have rolled up their sleeves to oppose it, writes Rajesh Moudgil

The Himachal Pradesh assembly in Shimla passed the Water Cess on Hydropower Generation Bill on March 16, 2023. Five days later, the assemblies of Punjab and Haryana, which were simultaneously in progress in Chandigarh, reacted resentfully and passed resolutions to resist it.

The new law would be applicable to the existing 172 power projects and future projects in the hill state.

The new law would not affect the people of the state and it wa...