Himachal Pradesh has secured a major relief on the long-delayed Kishau Dam project. The state government will now not have to spend any money of its own on the project, after the Centre accepted the conditions Himachal had set. The agreement came during a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi, an outcome the state is hailing as a significant win.
The Delhi Meeting That Cleared the Logjam
The high-level meeting was held in New Delhi under the chairmanship of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, with Himachal Chief Minister Sukhu and the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand both in attendance. It was at this meeting that the path was paved for building the 422 MW Kishau Dam project. The project carries an estimated cost of Rs 15,000 crore and is proposed on the Tons river along the border of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.
An Eight-Year Deadlock Resolved
The question of who would bear the project's financial cost had kept the matter tangled for the past eight years. At the meeting, the Chief Minister strongly argued the state's case and managed to break the deadlock. The Government of India has agreed in principle that the states benefiting from the project's water component, Delhi, Rajasthan and Haryana, will themselves bear the roughly Rs 2,000 crore estimated cost of Himachal Pradesh's share of the electricity component.
According to the Chief Minister, his persistent efforts mean the financial burden on the state will now be considerably reduced, something the previous government had not been able to achieve.
Previous Government Versus the Current Stand
The Chief Minister said the former Jairam government had agreed to provide Rs 800 crore as the state's share, but the present government refused to accept this, keeping in mind the state's limited resources. He pointed out that when the Government of India is providing a 90 percent grant for the water component, it was unreasonable for the power component not to receive similar support.
Displacement to Hit Himachal the Hardest
The Chief Minister stressed that the displacement caused by the project would fall most heavily on the population of Himachal Pradesh, and the state would suffer the greatest loss as a result. Given this, placing an additional financial burden on the state was not justified, he said, adding that Himachal Pradesh's contribution to nation-building deserves fair compensation.
State to Get 100 Crore Units of Power Every Year
The Chief Minister explained that once the project is completed, the state will receive a share of 100 crore units of electricity every year as the power component, valued at around Rs 600 crore annually. This, he said, would significantly boost the state's financial resources.
He described the development as a major victory for Himachal in its fight for the state's legitimate rights in power projects, pending dues and other interests. He reiterated that the present government has always placed the interests of the state and its people above all else.
Who Attended the Meeting
The key meeting was attended by Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil, the Chief Ministers of the beneficiary states and senior officials of the concerned ministries. Representing Himachal Pradesh were Chief Secretary K.K. Pant, the Chief Minister's Principal Advisor Ram Subhag Singh and Energy Director Rakesh Prajapati.
