Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu while presiding over the International conference on Dam Safety said that due to the immense hydel power potential, Himachal was becoming the focal point in hydel renewable energy sector globally. The conference would continue till 22nd March 2025.
He said that the river waters were the main source of power generation in the state however, during the initial years, there was no timeline set for licenses issued to the power generation companies, which is normally 35 to 40 years and because of this the state suffered substantive losses.
There are still many such power projects wherein no timelines has been fixed to handover the projects to the state government, adding that the government was fighting legal battle to take back these projects and legal opinion being sought in this regard. He said that if need arises, all such projects in which the interest of the state government have been completely ignored would be taken over by the government in near future.
Sh. Sukhu said that the people of Himachal Pradesh has immensely contributed in paving way for setting-up many hydel power projects in National interest and for the development of the Nation and many were displaced during the construction of Bhakra Dam and Pong Dam, who were still fighting for their settlement rights.
He assured that the present state government would take every possible measure to address the grievances of such families affected due to the construction of these Dams. The Chief Minister said that it was very unfortunate that the people of Himachal Pradesh had to approach the Apex Court to get their share in electricity sector.
He said that on one hand where ample water in the reservoirs lead to prosperity, whereas during the rainy seasons the dam waters when released bring hardship to the people living downstream, adding that there was a need to give added attention to such issues besides ensuring security of dams.
Since the people of the state have already bore the brunt of nature’s fury in 2023 we have to prepare ourselves much in advance to mitigate such calamities. As the incidents of cloudburst have increased recently in Himachal Pradesh the Chief Minister directed the dam authorities to alert the people well in time living downstream of the catchment areas of the projects before releasing the excess water.
Sh. Sukhu emphasized the need for quality in the construction of dams as well as its regular maintenance to ensure their life and safety. He said that climate change and few other reasons were posing new challenges for dam safety in the Himalayan region and we should adopt a multi-dimensional approach to mitigate these challenges.
He said that the government has implemented Dam Safety Act for surveillance, inspection, operation and maintenance of dams for which Dam Safety Committee has also been constituted. This committee would look after the maintenance and safety of all the dams in the state.
Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi, Education Minister Rohit Thakur, Technical Education Minister Rajesh Dharmani, Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena, Chairman of HP Power Regulatory Commission D.K Sharma and senior officials were present on the occasion.
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