HP government to take over two Chamba hydel projects: CM Sukhu
Sukhu reiterated that state government will take back those hydel projects which do not accept the government’s conditions. “World over it is practice that after 40 years project is given back to the state,” said Sukhu
The state government will take over the Baira Siul power project of National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) in Chamba.
This was stated by chief minister (CM) Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu in Assembly the ongoing budget session while replying to a question on the raised by Congress MLA from Chamba, Neeraj Nayar, on the NHPC project.
Nayar pointed out that many people of Chamba were displaced owing to the projects and he demanded that they should be given priority in jobs. He also pointed out that Baira Siul and Chamera-I hydroelectric plant in Chamba has 350 bigha surplus land of which should be identified and taken back by the government.
Replying to this, CM Sukhu said “As part of ‘Vyavastha Parivartan’ our government is fighting for the rights of the state. As many as 40 years of the Baira Siul project are over, so we have written to NHPC to hand over the project to the state.”
Sukhu reiterated that state government will take back those hydel projects which do not accept the government’s conditions. “World over it is practice that after 40 years project is given back to the state,” said Sukhu.
The CM also said that the previous governments of the state had given projects to NHPC forever on the condition of 12% royalty, which is wrong. Sukhu said that he has made it clear to NHPC and central energy minister Manohar Lal Khattar in this regard that if NHPC does not accept the condition of 12%, 18% and 30% royalty and returning the project to the state government after 40 years, all the projects allotted to it will be taken back.
“This is wealth of the state and we are fighting to get it back,” he said while adding that where ever projects were set up, extra land was acquired and now it is surplus. The CM stated that there are thousands of bighas of surplus land in the previously established hydel projects in the state and the state government has started a fight to get it back. These include projects of NHPC and BBMB.
He said, “It is a long fight which we have started. We will take over the power projects”. He also said that we will write to letter regarding handing over of Chamera-1 hydroelectric plant.”
He assured the house that the government will identify the surplus land with NHPC and will fight to get it back. He also said that displaced people should get priority in employment in any hydel project. He said that the MoU signed with NHPC in this regard will be reviewed and efforts will be made to implement such provisions.
161 bigha land identified to relocate Nahan medical college
Sukhu apprised the house that a land measuring 161 bigha has been identified for expansion of the medical college in Nahan. He was replying to question raised by Congress MLA from Nahan, Ajay Solanki, who urged the government to expedite the work. He pointed out that the work of the building of the college is stopped since March 2022.
CM Sukhu, targetting the BJP, said that the previous government made the college at a place that has no scope of expansion and ₹100 crore was spent to construct the building.
