Sainj–Raila road reopens as 12-day standoff ends between NHPC & locals

The company said the prolonged road blockade had caused considerable inconvenience to the public, including students, senior citizens, patients and other essential service users

National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) Limited’s Parbati-II power station has announced that the Sainj–Raila road has been reopened after remaining blocked for 12 days, following a consensus reached between the project management and residents of the Sainj Valley, Kullu district.

Ranjeet Singh (centre), GM of the NHPC Parbati-II power station, addressing the media on Saturday . (Aqil Khan/HT)

This was said by Ranjeet Singh, general manager (GM) of the NHPC Parbati-II power station while addressing the media on Saturday.

“The NHPC management has agreed to all 16 points of demands raised by the elected representatives following the signing of the report submitted by the duly constituted committee. The standoff between residents of Raila and the management of NHPC’s Parbati Hydroelectric Project Phase-II (PHEP-II) ended after the company accepted most of the residents’ demands and agreed to compensation for losses caused by the sudden discharge of water from an auxiliary tunnel on the night of September 19,” Singh said.

He said that a committee constituted on September 21 assessed the damage caused by the incident, which affected houses and agricultural land and washed away around 50 metres of road at Palchara, blocking the Siund-Raila-Kamtan road for 12 days. Residents had refused to allow restoration work until a written agreement was reached with the NHPC.

The company said the prolonged road blockade had caused considerable inconvenience to the public, including students, senior citizens, patients and other essential service users, and expressed regret that the hardships and losses could have been minimised had the issue been resolved earlier.