Hydropower Project : On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was congratulated by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami for winning the nation’s election to a third consecutive term as PM. He conveyed his confidence that India will reach unprecedented levels of overall growth and set new benchmarks for success under the PM’s leadership. A souvenir of the Mahasu Devta temple was given to him by the Chief Minister on this special occasion.
The CM gave the State’s case on a number of development-related problems and initiatives during the meeting. Aware of the problem of hydroelectric projects that have been put on hold, the chief minister asked the prime minister to revisit the final report of the expert committee II that the Supreme Court had established, which covered 24 proposed hydropower projects on the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers and their tributaries. According to him, the quest of increasing the State’s gross domestic product (GDP) depends on the hydroelectric projects. Dhami claimed that the State’s financial resources are being further taxed by having to buy electricity worth Rs 1,000 crore annually from the open market.
When the CM brought up the subject of compensatory plantations for road building and other development projects, he stated that in accordance with the regulations, they should be done on non-forest revenue property that is twice as large as the forest land used for development projects. The chief minister stated that the State’s unique topography makes it difficult for the Indian government and its agencies to choose appropriate land for compensatory plantations.
Given that 67% of Uttarakhand is covered in forests, there isn’t much land available for development. Uttarakhand is a strategically significant state bordering other countries. Dhami asked the PM to order the relevant Ministry to approve the current proposals for the transfer of forest land and to plant compensatory trees on “notified degraded forest land,” or the State’s reserve and protected forests.
A Multi Model Logistics Park and the transfer of land from BHEL Haridwar to the State for industrial development were among the other requests made by the CM to the PM during the meeting.
Dhami notified the PM that a 1,002-acre integrated industrial cluster at Khurpiya is being built, with a 50-50 split between the Union and State governments. The land that the State government granted is valued at Rs 410 crore, and all NOCs have been obtained. He asked for the cluster to be approved by the PM. In addition, the chief minister requested financial support for the ambitious Manaskhand Mandir Mala Mission (MMMM) totaling Rs 1,000 crore. According to him, an action plan for the development of the Sharda corridor—which would help build the well-known Purnagiri Dham in the Kumaon area—is being prepared under the MMMM.
Dhami said that the master plans for the Adi Kailash area and Kainchi Dham in Pithoragarh’s Gunji village are ready. In order to expand train services in Uttarakhand, he also asked the PM to get the Railway Ministry to sanction the Dehradun-Mussoorie rail line project. The CM further asked the PM to grant administrative and financial clearance for the projected 30-km Milam-Lapthal, 22-km Sipu-Tola, and 5-km Jyoali Kang-Vedang tunnel projects in Uttarakhand.