Uttarakhand has raised objections over a proposal to set up the headquarters of the Pacheshwar development authority at Mahendra Nagar in Nepal.
The authority was set up last year to build the multi-purpose 6,000-Mw Pancheswhar project on river Mahakali along the Indo-Nepal border.
Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank told a central team headed by Union water resource secretary Umesh Narayan Panjiyar that since 70 per cent of the affected area fell in Uttarakhand, the headquarters of the authority should be set up on the Indian side of the border. The team also gave a detail presentation on the project to the CM here last evening, top officials here said.
Nishank also said Uttarakhand should also be given 13 per cent of free power out the total capacity of 6,000 Mw against the idea of such royalty only on the Indian share of 3,000 Mw.
After a considerable delay, the Centre now wants to speed up the process of the dam as no significant progress could be made during the last one year. The project is being jointly developed by Nepal and India at an estimated investment of Rs 30,000 crore on 50-50 joint equity basis.
Last year, a Panchewshwar development authority comprising top officials from both Nepal and India was established to expedite matters related to the project as well as its DPR. The project was proposed on the basis of the 1996 Mahakali Treaty.
The project having 12 units of 540 Mw each, would uproot hundreds of people from Pithoragarh and Champawat districts and submerge a large area in the region.
There are reports that the height of the Pancheshwar dam has been increased from 238 metres to 315 metres. Besides this, a huge reservoir is being planned for the dam in which over 100 villages would be submerged completely. But the sources here said, as compared to the potential of the dam, the number of people being uprooted would be far less.
There will be two underground power projects in the proposed site. Most of the areas in Pithoragarh and Champawat districts are ecologically very fragile as well as earthquake prone.
