Officials asked to list all assets in Pancheswar report

The disputed assets’ case has been hanging fire since Uttarakhand was carved out of Uttar Pradesh in 2000.

Uttarakahand irrigation minister Satpal Maharaj has directed officials to list all assets yet to be transferred to the hill state by Uttar Pradesh in the Detailed Project Report (DPR) being formulated for the Pancheshwar hydropower project. It will be built on the river Kali that passes through three districts in Kumaon.

Uttarakahand irrigation minister Satpal Maharaj has directed officials to list all assets yet to be transferred to the hill state by Uttar Pradesh in the Detailed Project Report (DPR) being formulated for the Pancheshwar hydropower project.(HT FILE (REPRESENTATIVE PIC))

“The step should be taken so that we have enough land to rehabilitate the people who will have to be displaced owing to the Pancheshwar dam project”, Maharaj, who is the chairman of the Cabinet sub-committee on the (Pancheshwar dam) project, said. He was chairing the sub-committee meeting held here on Wednesday to assess various aspects of the rehabilitation policy relating to Pancheshwar dam project currently being formulated by the experts.

The disputed assets’ case has been hanging fire since Uttarakhand was carved out of Uttar Pradesh in 2000. These disputed assets also include land owned by the UP Irrigation department.

Finance minister Prakash Pant, a member of the Cabinet sub-committee, “discussed at length” with the experts formulating the policy for relocation of about 31023 families, an official note said. Those families would be displaced owing to the proposed dam.

Pant directed officials to “list all basic facilities” hospitals, schools, drinking water, power supply, roads etc that the oustees of the Pancheshwar dam would require in the place where they would be relocated. Experts were also asked to include in the DPR the issues relating to protection of the livestock of the people to be displaced as well as the latter’s livelihood related issues.

Urban development minister Madan Kaushik, also a member of the panel, cautioned the officials and experts that the interests of those to be displaced by the proposed hydropower project were not affected.