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Amid the dispute over the 99-year lease of the British-era hydel power plant - Shanan Hydroelectric Project with Punjab, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu presided over a high-level meeting of senior officers of the State Government on Thursday.
The Shanan Power House, located in Jogindernagar, Himachal Pradesh, has been a subject of contention since the lease executed in 1925 between Raja Joginder Sen, the ruler of the then Mandi state, and Colonel BC Batty, a British representative. Although Punjab has relinquished its ownership of the Shanan Power House, it has yet to return control to Himachal Pradesh. The Chief Minister directed the officials to present the case strongly and effectively in the Supreme Court, emphasising that the state government is determined to restore all the rights of Himachal Pradesh over the project. "The present state government will fight vigorously to get back the rights of Himachal Pradesh so that the people of the state can get benefits of this project," said the Chief Minister. He said that the Shanan Hydroelectric Project, built during the British era, was given on lease to the Punjab Government for 99 years in the year 1925. The lease agreement was signed between Raja Joginder Bahadur, the then ruler of Mandi and Chief Engineer of Punjab. He said that the lease period ended on March 2, 2024 and as this project falls in the territory of Himachal Pradesh, the Punjab Government must now hand over this project to Himachal Pradesh Government without any delay. "The State Government is committed to ensuring that the benefits of the project are redirected to the people of Himachal Pradesh. As the legal proceedings were in process, the government is preparing a strong case to reclaim the project", reiterated the Chief Minister. Principal Advisor to Chief Minister Ram Subhag Singh, Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena, Advocate General of Himachal Pradesh Anup Rattan, Additional Chief Secretary Onkar Chand Sharma, Principal Secretary Devesh Kumar, Secretary to Chief Minister Rakesh Kanwar, Special Secretary Arindam Choudhary and other senior officers were present in the meeting. Notably, the central government ordered that the status quo be maintained on the Shanan hydropower project, over which Punjab and Himachal Pradesh have made competing claims. Punjab has moved the Supreme Court over this issue. Punjab has presented its case in the Supreme Court, asserting that it is the rightful owner and in lawful possession of the Shanan Power House Project under the central notification of 1967. The state government, through the Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd (PSPCL), currently exercises control over all assets associated with the project. (ANI)
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