Politics
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Six states sign Rs 15,624 crore Kishau dam pact
The Indian Express··19 Sept
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said a six-state pact on the 422-MW Kishau dam means Himachal will not bear the Rs 15,624-crore project cost. Himachal, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi signed on September 15. The Centre is to fund 90 percent, with states sharing 10 percent. The BJP disputed Congress credit for the deal.
Prism
What It Means For You
- Himachal officials say the new terms end a prior Cabinet idea of sharing project cost 50:50 with Uttarakhand.
- Delhi and Rajasthan are to share power-component costs tied to Himachal's water allocation under the pact.
- Project cost is stated at Rs 15,624 crore now and is expected to rise over the construction period.
What's Happening
- The proposed dam sits on the Tons river along the Himachal-Uttarakhand border.
- Sukhu said the earlier BJP state government had agreed to spend Rs 800 crore on the project.
- BJP leader Jairam Thakur credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for easing the path.
The Political Credit Fight
- Five of the six signatory governments are BJP-ruled; Himachal is Congress-ruled.
- Congress has used hoardings of Sukhu to present the pact as a state negotiation win.
- Officials said no MoU was signed during the 2017-2022 BJP tenure even though a 50:50 cost share was approved in Cabinet.
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