Punjab Newsline, Shimla, November 7-
CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Union Minister Manohar Lal held a meeting here at Shimla today to discuss various issues of power and housing related to Himachal Pradesh. In the meeting, the CM raised the matter of royalty aligned with the State Govt’s energy policy. He outlined the policy, which mandates 12% royalty for the first 12 years, 18% for the subsequent 18 years and 30% for the next 10 years in the power projects.
He said that private companies already comply with this policy and emphasized that central PSUs should also follow it as well.
The CM asserted that if SJVNL is unwilling to comply with the state’s energy policy, the HP govt is ready to take over the 210 MW Luhri Phase-1, the 382 MW Sunni Project and the 66 MW Dhaulasidh hydropower projects. He assured that the State Government is willing to reimburse SJVNL for the expenses incurred so far on these projects. He also pointed out that SJVNL commenced construction on these projects without signing an implementation agreement. He said that the people of Himachal Pradesh should receive its rightful share from water resources. In response, the Union Minister directed SJVNL officials to provide a final response by January 15, 2025.