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Himachal CM Sukhu says water cess imposition won’t cause loss to Haryana, Khattar disagrees
Himachal chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and his Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khattar met in Chandigarh on Saturday and discussed various including, the water cess to be imposed on hydropower projects set up in the hill state.
Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday said water cess to be imposed by his government on hydropower projects set up in the state would not cause any loss to Haryana.
Sukhu, who met his Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khattar, in Chandigarh to discuss various bilateral issues said the water cess would not be levied on water but on the power generation in about 172 hydropower projects operating in the state, a Himachal government statement said.
A statement by Haryana government, however, said that chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar told his Himachal counterpart that Haryana has serious reservations over the water cess law. Khattar, the statement said, told Sukhu that a law which adversely affects the interests of other states cannot be enacted.
Sukhu, however, said the purpose of this meeting was to remove misconceptions regarding water cess.
Detailed discussions were held on the Renuka dam project and the joint Kishau hydropower project of Himachal, Haryana and Uttarakhand. The implementation of the Adi Badri project and the origin of Saraswati river was also discussed.
Sukhu said that unnecessary delay in implementation of various joint projects increases the cost of the project while the objective of the scheme is not fulfilled as the benefits of the project were also delayed. He said that senior officials of both states will hold a meeting to decide the future policy regarding various projects.
He invited Haryana to invest in hydropower projects and green hydrogen in Himachal Pradesh. He said that investment in Himachal would prove beneficial for both the states.
