No power, Rs 102 crore Giri water scheme hangs fire

Ambika Sharma

Solan, June 29

The lack of funds for electricity supply to the ambitious Rs 102 crore Giri water scheme, which would serve the Kasauli area, is delaying the commissioning of the project.

The Jal Shakti Department (JSD), which is executing the scheme, recently provided Rs 1 crore to HP State Electricity Board Limited, while a similar amount was deposited in December 2023 against the requirement of Rs 6.94 crore to ensure power supply.

The Rs 102 crore scheme has been funded by the Jal Jiwan Mission (JJM) and the National Bank for Agriculture Development (NABARD). An amount of Rs 56 crore has been provided by the JJM and Rs 46 crore by NABARD.

The triple-stage scheme would lift water from Giri river in Sirmaur district. As many as 179 habitations of Kasauli Assembly segment, with a population of 45,458, will benefit from the scheme, which will supply 7.5 million litre of water per day.

Superintending Engineer, HP State Electricity Board Limited, Nahan, Darshan Saini said as against an estimate of Rs 6.94 crore for supply of electricity to the Giri water scheme, a sum of Rs 2 crore had been received from the JSD, Solan.

“Three tenders have been floated and key procurement works have been completed, while a major work to augment 33-KV substation at Gaura will commence after the remaining amount is deposited by the JSD,” added Saini.

Villages in Kasauli area faced an acute water shortage this summer with no supply for eight to nine days on the trot. In the absence of any other source for irrigation, villagers are forced to divert this water supply to their cash crops, aggravating the crisis.

Though the Giri scheme was supposed to be commissioned by June 2023, various reasons have been attributed to its delay.

There is a dispute between the Public Works Department (PWD) and some land owners at Sihardi village who are objecting to laying pipes along their land.

“The PWD is demanding manual excavation of the 1,500 metre road stretch from Garkhal though the entire amount for the damage caused to the road has been deposited with them,” said Bhanu, SDO, JSD, Dharampur. The official said nearly 80 per cent work to lay pipes had been done and the remaining would be completed as soon as these hurdles were overcome.