Cabinet sets deadline for completion of Kinnaur power project

The Cabinet today accepted the recommendations of a sub-committee headed by Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi regarding the 450 MW Shongtong-Karchham Hydroelectric Power Project in Kinnaur and set 2026-27 as the deadline for its completion.

The delay in the completion of the project has caused revenue losses to the state government. As per the recommendations of the Cabinet sub-committee, directives have been issued to the executing company to ensure the project is completed by 2026-27.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had expressed displeasure over the delay in the completion of the project, the tender for which was awarded in 2012. The delay has also resulted in a huge escalation in the project cost, resulting in financial losses to the government. The committee headed by Negi was constituted to look into all issues that were delaying the project.

The Cabinet approved the formation of a sub-committee headed by the Revenue Minister to review the operation of parking facilities in Shimla city run in the public private partnership (PPP) mode. The committee would look into the issue of the non-payment of dues to the government by contractors that are running some of the big parking lots at Tutikandi, Lift, Chotta Shimla, Sanjauli and the new bus stand in the state capital. The contractors managing the parking lots had not paid their dues to the Shimla Municipal Corporation and hence the government could terminate their agreements and auction the facilities afresh.

Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh, Urban Development Minister Vikramaditya Singh and Town and Country Planning Minister Rajesh Dharmani were the members of the sub-committee. Shimla (Urban) MLA Harish Janartha would be a special invitee.

The government is suffering revenue losses as the contractors running the parking lots are not making payments to the Shimla Municipal Corporation on the pretext that they are making losses.