Shimla: National Hydroelectric Power Corp (NHPC) is in advanced stage of completing two more hydropower projects in Himachal Pradesh; top management of the corporation let chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal know here today.
NHPC project director JK Sharma and general manager Anil Trikha on meeting the chief minister said that the 231 MW Chamera III project on Ravi River and the 520 MW Parbati III project on Parbati River were likely to be commissioned in the current financial year.
“Work on the two projects is in an advanced stage and would be commissioned soon,†said Sharma.
The NHPC management also handed a cheque of Rs Rs 1.5 crore to the chief minister towards construction of a modern bus stand at Chamba.
In all, the central undertaking is to contribute Rs 5 Crore for the bust stand, the first installment of which was handed over by them on Tuesday.
Dhumal on the occasion let the top management of NHPC know that work on the new bus stand would be started on a priority. “The demand for a bus stand in Chamba had long been pending,†he said.
NHPC which is already operating Chamera I and Chamera II is in the advanced stage of completing Chamera III of 231 MW capacity Chamba district and Parbati III of 520 MW capacity in Kullu district.
With commissioning of these projects the state’s total generation capacity would be enhanced to over 7000 MW, said Dhumal.
The state has made it mandatory for all power producers to contribute 1.5 percent of the project cost towards local developmental activities with the aim of earning goodwill, he added.
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads a team of media professionals at Hill Post.
Spanning a career of over two decades in mass communication, as a Documentary Filmmaker, TV journalist, Print Media journalist and with Online & Social Media, he brings with him a vast experience. He lives in Shimla.
B y actualization of its hydro-electric potential, Himachal Pradesh continues to drive the growth story of India. These two projects in Ravi and Beas catchment will add another 750 odd megawatt capacity and the State of Himachal Pradesh gets free power equivalent of 90 megawatt generation. This roughly translates to about 360 million units of power which at current prices would give an additional annual revenue of over Rs. 100 crore. So the developmental story of Himachal Pradesh gathers further momentum. The government needs to demonstrate as much fiscal prudence as possible to utilise these financial resources in making the social and economic development in the State permanent and sustainable. One wishes the State Electricity Board had made a head start in installation of the potential at a much earlier date by itself rather than allowing other agencies to do so. It would, then, have been a cash rich entity rather than its current status of poverty and unbearable staff overheads.