A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the 422 MW Kishau multipurpose hydro project is expected to be signed shortly between the partner States and the Government of India in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Ahead of the formal signing, the Government of India has circulated the draft MoU to the participating states, inviting their comments and suggestions.
Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today chaired a high-level meeting to review the draft MoU for the 422 MW Kishau multipurpose project and issued necessary directions to the officers concerned. He reiterated that while the state government was fully committed to the implementation of the Kishau multipurpose project, safeguarding the rights and interests of the people of Himachal will remain its foremost priority.
He said that a consensus on the implementation of the project was reached during a recent meeting, under which Himachal would receive nearly Rs. 600 crore annually as revenue without making any financial investment in the project. Sh. Sukhu further said that the present state government had rejected the earlier draft agreement and successfully secured the acceptance of Himachal's proposed terms and conditions by all stakeholders.
This ensured the protection of the State’s long-term interests while paving the way for the implementation of the project. He said that under the revised arrangement, all partner states would receive their legitimate share of power and water, while Himachal would also receive adequate water from the reservoir based on its requirements.
The state had secured a right of 378 million cubic metres of water in the Yamuna basin, he added. The Chief Minister said that the present state government had consistently placed the interests of the state above all else and had taken decisive steps to safeguard the state’s rights.
The agreement on the Kishau multipurpose project was a landmark achievement that secures Himachal Pradesh’s rightful share and long-term benefits from this strategically significant project. He further said that the state government had also intensified its efforts to secure Himachal's long-pending arrears of 13,066 million units of electricity from the BBMB projects, which had remained unimplemented for nearly 15 years despite a decree of the Apex Court.
It is pertinent to mention that the present state government recently resolved an eight-year-old deadlock over Himachal's financial contribution to the Kishau multipurpose project. Through its sustained efforts, the government succeeded in relieving the state of a substantial financial burden that would otherwise had fallen on the state exchequer.
The previous BJP government had agreed to contribute nearly Rs. 800 crore as the state’s share in the project. However, considering the state’s constrained financial position, the present government led by the Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu firmly opposed the proposal and successfully negotiated an arrangement under which Himachal Pradesh would not be required to make any capital investment, while continuing to secure its rightful benefits from the project.
Principal Advisor to the Chief Minister Ram Subhag Singh, Additional Chief Secretary R.D. Nazeen, Principal Secretary Devesh Kumar and Managing Director, Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited, Abid Hussain Sadiq attended the meeting in Shimla, while Chief Secretary Kamlesh Kumar Pant joined the deliberations virtually from New Delhi.