2 min readShimlaJul 12, 2012 02:13 AM IST
First published on: Jul 12, 2012 at 02:13 AM IST
The proposed multi-crore Renuka Dam project,primarily aimed at supplying additional drinking water to Delhi,crossed a major hurdle on Tuesday as the National Green Tribunal (NGT) granted the Himachal Pradesh government clearance to complete the land acquisition process and compensate the affected families.
The Principal Bench of NGT,a judicial panel for environment-related cases,vacated its interim stay for distribution of compensation for land acquired for the project. But the stay on land covered under the Forest Conservation Act remained. It has been listed for final hearing on August 14.
The dam will be built on a tributary of the Yamuna in Sirmaur district,about 250 km from Delhi. The project is expected to cost Rs 3,600 crore. It will also have a 40-MW hydro-power plant.
The national Capital,however,will have to wait for a while as Himachal Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal,quoting the Bhakra dam example,has made it clear that the Centre and the Delhi government will have to pay for the rehabilitation and the cost of environmental degradation.
The state’s Additional Chief Secretary (Power and Revenue) Deepak Sanan said: “The NGT has lifted its ban on land acquisition and payment of compensation. We will resume payments,but actual work on the project will not begin till Union government settled all issues between Himachal Pradesh and Delhi.”
The proposed project ran into a roadblock after the NGT directed the Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPCL) in July last year to stop the land acquisition process. It also restrained HPPCL, the public sector undertaking executing the project,from carrying out construction activity on non-forest and forest land.
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