Shanan project can generate ₹200 cr annually: Himachal CM
Commissioned in 1932, the Shanan hydroelectric powerhouse was built under a 99-year lease between Joginder Sen, the then king of Mandi state, and British engineer Col BC Batty in 1925
Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, during his recent visit to Delhi, handed over legal documents regarding Shanan Powerhouse at Jogindernagar in Mandi to the Union Power Ministry.
The project can generate an income of ₹200 crore annually. “We are also ready for a legal battle over the Shanan project,” said the chief minister.
Commissioned in 1932, the Shanan hydroelectric powerhouse was built under a 99-year lease between Joginder Sen, the then king of Mandi state, and British engineer Col BC Batty in 1925. During the reorganisation of states in November 1966, the powerhouse was given to Punjab. The 99-year lease will expire in March 2, 2024.
“The project is in deplorable condition due to lack of maintenance. The Punjab government should maintain it till the lease expires or hand it over to Himachal. I have raised the issue with both the state and Central government,” said Mandi Lok Sabha member Ram Swaroop Sharma.
Meanwhile, Sukhu had recently written to Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann to inform him that his government has decided not to renew the lease. Reacting to Sukhu’s claim, a senior functionary in the Punjab power department had said the state’s claim over the Shanan project “is genuine and strong and the matter will be taken up at the appropriate level as and when the need arises”.
