Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today said the Centre had acceded to Himachal’s demand that the cost of power generation from the 422 MW Kishau Dam project should be borne by beneficiary states Delhi, Rajasthan, and Haryana.
The Chief Minister attended a high-level meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi.
“We succeeded in breaking the eight-year-old deadlock over bearing the financial cost for setting up the Kishau hydel project. The Centre has, in principle, agreed that the estimated cost of Rs 2,000 crore for the power component will be borne by Delhi, Rajasthan, and Haryana, which will receive water from the project,” he said.
Sukhu said Himachal will get its share of Rs 100 crore per year from the power component of the project. After construction, this will amount to about Rs 600 crore and add to the state’s financial resources.
The Chief Minister said the project had been pending for the last eight years. After assuming power, he declined to accept the agreement signed by the previous regime in 2021-22 as it was not in Himachal’s interest. “The previous government had agreed to pay Rs 800 crore as the state’s share, which the present government refused in the interest of the state. The Central Government is providing a 90% grant for the water component to the three states, so it was not fair that Himachal should bear the cost of power generation,” he said.
He said it was due to his consistent efforts that a major breakthrough had come, paving the way for construction of the Kishau dam project. The project is proposed on the Tons river across the border of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh at an estimated cost of Rs 15,000 crore.
Since population will be displaced, Himachal will bear the maximum loss due to the project. “Therefore, it was unfair for the state to bear further financial burden. In fact, Himachal should be compensated suitably,” he added.
He said his government has always given high priority to protecting the interests of the state and its people. “This is a major victory in the state’s fight for securing its legitimate share in power projects and pending arrears,” he said.
Union Minister for Power Manohar Lal Khattar, Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil, Chief Ministers of beneficiary states, and senior officers of concerned ministries attended the meeting.
