Govt seeking legal opinion to take over power projects operating without timelines: Sukhu

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today said that the state government was seeking legal opinion to take over power projects operating without set timelines and thus were harming Himachal’s interests.

Sukhu, while presiding over the International Conference on Dam Safety here, said that if required, the government would take over all such projects in which Himachal’s interests had been completely ignored. Due to immense hydroelectric power potential, Himachal was becoming the focal point in the renewable energy sector globally, he added.

He said, “River waters are the main source of power generation in the state but during initial years, there was no timeline set for licences issued to power companies, which is normally for 35 to 40 years. It is because of this the state has suffered substantive losses.” He added that the government was fighting a legal battle to take back these projects.

Sukhu said that the people of Himachal Pradesh had contributed immensely to pave the way for setting up many hydroelectric power projects in national interest and many of them were displaced during the construction of the Bhakra Dam and the Pong Dam and they were still fighting for their settlement rights. He added that the state government would take every possible measure to address the grievances of such families affected due to the construction of dams.

The Chief Minister said that it was unfortunate that the people of Himachal Pradesh had to approach the Supreme Court to get their share in the electricity sector. “On the one hand, while ample water in reservoirs has led to prosperity, on the other, during the rainy season, dam water brings hardships to people living downstream,” he added.

Sukhu said, “The people of the state had borne the brunt of the nature’s fury in 2023, so we should prepare ourselves much in advance to mitigate the impact of such calamities.” He directed the dam authorities to alert people living downstream of the catchment areas of the projects before releasing excess water.

He emphasised the need for quality in the construction of dams as well as its regular maintenance to ensure their safety. “Climate change and few other reasons were posing new challenges to dam safety in the Himalayan region for which we should adopt a multi-dimensional approach to mitigate these,” he added.

Sukhu said that the government had enacted the Dam Safety Act for the surveillance, inspection, operation and maintenance of dams and a Dam Safety Committee had also been constituted for the purpose. This committee would look after the maintenance and safety of all dams in the state, he added.

Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi, Education Minister Rohit Thakur and Technical Education Minister Rajesh Dharmani were present on the occasion.