States » NorthPosted at: Sep 21 2026 8:11PM


BJP demands white paper on Himachal’s Kishu dam project

Shimla, September 21 (UNI)Himachal Pradesh BJP president Dr Rajeev Bindal on Monday alleged that the state government had compromised its long-term water interests under the Kishau Dam Project to avoid an annual financial burden of Rs 135.69 crore and demanded a white paper on the agreement.
Addressing media persons he accused Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu of presenting facts about the project selectively and said the government should place before the public the complete financial and legal details, including Himachal's water rights, power share, projected revenue, irrigation potential and employment provisions.
Welcoming the agreement among the six beneficiary states, Bindal said the project had moved forward due to the intervention of the Centre, particularly Prime Minister Narendra Modi and union Home Minister Amit Shah.
He said the BJP welcomed the agreement, but questioned the manner in which the state government was presenting its role.
Bindal said the Chief Minister was presenting the agreement as a major achievement of his government without adequately explaining the Centre's contribution or the concessions allegedly made by Himachal Pradesh.
The Kishau multipurpose project has an estimated cost of Rs 15,624 crore, comprising a water component of Rs 12,096 crore and a power component of Rs 3,528 crore, Bindal said.
According to him, the Centre would bear the cost of the water component as well as expenditure related to rehabilitation of displaced families.
He said the project had remained pending for decades despite an initial survey in 1944-45, a detailed survey in 1962 and a preliminary report in 1964.
Discussions in 2015 also failed to resolve differences over sharing the cost of the water component, he said.
Questioning Himachal's earlier financial commitment, Bindal said the state and Uttarakhand had agreed in 2015 to share the power component cost equally. Himachal's share of the Rs 3,528-crore power component would have been Rs 1,764 crore.
He said that, if this amount was spread over 13 years, the annual financial burden would work out to around Rs 135.69 crore.
He questioned whether the state could have made this investment to protect its long-term water and economic interests.
Bindal also questioned the Chief Minister's claim that Kishau would generate around Rs 1,200 crore annually for Himachal Pradesh.
He said that, based on the figure cited by the Chief Minister, the earlier proposed investment of Rs 1,764 crore would theoretically correspond to around one-and-a-half years of gross annual income.
Bindal, however, demanded that the projected revenue be supported by details of electricity generation, sale rates, operating costs, interest liabilities and other financial obligations.
On water allocation, Bindal referred to an earlier arrangement under which Haryana had a 40.6 per cent share, Uttar Pradesh 30.1 per cent, Delhi 10.4 per cent, Rajasthan 6.3 per cent and Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand 1.7 per cent each.
He claimed Himachal's share represented nearly 50 million cubic metres and sought clarification on changes under the new agreement. He asked whether any alteration in the state's water rights was permanent or time-bound and what safeguards had been made for future drinking water, irrigation and agricultural requirements.
Bindal also raised concerns over irrigation opportunities in Sirmaur and demanded an assessment of potential irrigation areas, canals and benefits to farmers.
He said employment opportunities for local youth, technical training and participation of local contractors and transporters should also be clearly specified.
He demanded a white paper covering the Centre's and states' financial contributions, water and power rights, projected revenue, irrigation facilities and employment provisions, saying the BJP supported the project but sought safeguards for Himachal's long-term interests.
UNI BN
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