Referring to the Kishau multipurpose dam project, chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday said the Congress government had firmly worked to protect the interests of Himachal Pradesh and that the credit for the agreement also went to the people of the state and the state government.
He said that under the Kishau project, Himachal would receive benefits of around ₹ 1,500 crore without any additional investment, while Uttarakhand would have to invest around ₹ 3,000 crore to generate a similar amount. “The cost of the project, which was estimated at around ₹ 800 crore five years ago, has now increased to between ₹ 3,000 crore and ₹ 5,000 crore.
Addressing a public meeting at Rail in the Nadaun assembly constituency of Hamirpur district, Sukhu said BJP leaders Anurag Thakur and Jai Ram Thakur should seek clarity from Uttarakhand regarding its concerns over the project. A larger area of land in Uttarakhand is also being affected by the project,” Sukhu said.
“The previous BJP government had agreed to a contribution of around ₹ 800 crore, but the present state government refused to accept such a burden. As a result, the estimated liability of around ₹ 2,000 crore has been shifted to the beneficiary states of Delhi, Rajasthan and Haryana,” Kumar added.
In Shimla, agriculture minister Chander Kumar and PWD minister Vikramaditya Singh said, “The BJP cannot rewrite the facts, distort the record or claim credit for an outcome secured after sustained efforts and firm negotiations by the Congress government.
