Concerned over a bleak power scenario in Uttarakhand, new chief minister Vijay Bahuguna on Thursday asked the centre to transfer to his hill state one-fourth of Uttar Pradesh’s share in the 2400-Mw mega Tehri hydel project. He also sought additional 150-Mw power in the coming Char Dham yatra season.
Top officials here said the UPA government’s Sushilkumar Shinde has given a positive assurance on the two issues to Bahuguna, who called on the union power minister at his office in Delhi.
The move related to the Tehri dam, where Uttar Pradesh is holding 25 per cent of the equity, is being seen as a big step forward by the nascent Congress government in the hill state. In fact, the Bahuguna dispensation is mulling approaching the Supreme Court on the issue.
Subodh Uniyal, a close confidant of the chief minister, said Bahuguna, by demanding Uttarakhand’s legitimate share in Tehri dam, has given a clear message that he would not compromise on the state’s development issues. “It is especially so on matters related to the power sector, which has taken a beating during the past 5 years,” he added.
On its part, the previous BJP government in the state had hired top lawyers to file a petition seeking a transfer of 25 per cent of Uttar Pradesh’s equity from the mega project on Bhagirathi river. However, the legal battery had advised the then dispensation not to immediately approach the apex court. Instead, it want notices to be issued to the Uttar Pradesh government and the Centre for getting a formal reply on the issue.
The 25 per cent share, top officials here claimed, would give the hill state “tremendous relief” from an acute power shortage which it faces during lean seasons. On an average, Uttarakhand spends around Rs 200-250 crore every month to purchase power from different private companies. Besides the proposed 25 per cent share, the government is also laying its claim on other profits earned since the commissioning of the first phase (1000 Mw) in 2007.
The hill state has, several times in the past, taken up the issue with the Centre, demanding transfer of the 25 per cent equity of the project under the provision of the Uttar Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2000. All efforts, though, have gone in vain due to a bigger political clout enjoyed by the neighbouring state.
A clause under the Section 47(3) of the Act says investments made prior to the creation of Uttarakhand should go to the state where the project is located. Uttar Pradesh is a 25 per cent shareholder in the Tehri project, while the Centre has the rest of the stake. Uttarakhand currently gets 12-13 per cent of free power from the Tehri dam which has been built with an investment of Rs 10,000 crore.
The Tehri project provides peaking power to states like Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Delhi, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh, besides the union territory of Chandigarh. The project also provides irrigation benefits to 8.74 lakh hectare area in Uttar Pradesh, which also gets drinking-water facilities of 200 cusecs. Delhi gets 300 cusecs. The power demand in Uttarakhand is growing annually by 10 per cent to 15 per cent. It has now touched almost 28 million units this year. The government is exploring various new options to increase power.
