SHIMLA: The two neighboring Congress Governments of Himachal Pradesh a and Punjab are heading for a direct confrontation over pending water and power share issues
The HP Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh who has already asked Punjab Haryana and Rajasthan Governments to pay Rs 1000 crore in lieu of HP’s power share is planning to fire yet another salvo) on Punjab Government. This concerns the Shah Canal barrage in HP which was constructed by Punjab to hamess water from the Beas River.
As per the terms of agreement signed on Aug.41993 after the construction of the barrage the Punjab Government agreed to release 228 cusses of water to HP. It also promised to build system for irrigation in HP.
The Punjab Government has failed to execute this agreement despite the lapse of 10 years. It has neither constructed the carrier channel nor provided compensation to the landowners whose land was forfeited under the project. It has also never released the agreed share of water.
According to initial estimates the total cost for building carrier channel was Rs 49.30 crores of which Rs 15.62 crores was to be borne by Himachal Pradesh. The revised cost of the project has now gone up to Rs 93.20 crores in which Himachal would have to invest Rs 21.35 crores. This project would have imitated an area of 22,627 hectares in Kangra.
Thus the delay and non-execution of the agreement has caused heavy loss to Himachal.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 21, 1994
