Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu presided over a high-level meeting of senior officers of the State Government here today on the ongoing legal battle over the 110-MW Shanan hydel project in Jogindernagar in Mandi district. The Chief Minister directed the officials to present the case strongly and effectively in the Supreme Court, emphasizing 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 2nd March, 2024. As this project falls in the territory of Himachal Pradesh and now Punjab Government must hand over this project to Himachal Pradesh Government without any delay.
“The State Government is committed ensure 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.
