Shimla: Himachal Pradesh High Court directed the Centre to decide on the ownership of the Shanan Power Project within two months time. The HC ordered the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to take a call on this shortly.
A single bench of Justice Sandeep Sharma while delivering the order stated that the Centre should resolve the long pending dispute between the two states - Punjab and Himachal Pradesh at the earliest.
The court also directed the Union Ministry to take all stakeholders into consideration before arriving at a conclusion. In the petition before the court, it was stated that the project comes under the Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh, but it is still under the control of Punjab.
The petitioner contended before the court that Himachal is a small state with limited sources of income. If the project is handed over to Himachal by Punjab then it will be beneficial for the people as well as the economy of the state.
The project generates over Rs 100 crore per year. If the said project is handed over to the Himachal Pradesh government, then along with the general public of the state, the economy of the state will also be strengthened.
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Even after independence, Himachal Pradesh was a part of the then-undivided Punjab for about 20 years. In 1966, under the Punjab Reorganization Act, the states of Himachal Pradesh and Haryana were carved out from Punjab.
Shanan Power Project situated in Jogindernagar, Mandi, came under the share of Himachal, but the electricity board office was still in Punjab. Hence, the project was under the control of the Punjab government. Even after the formation of three states, its ownership issue was still undecided. Besides, the Punjab government's 99-year lease on this project will expire in March 2024. Hence, the Himachal Pradesh government has been trying to stake its claim on the said project.
