Chief Minister Harish Rawat said on Saturday that a meeting was being held between Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand Government officials to clear decks for Kisau hydro power project. “Himachal Pradesh chief secretary P Mitra is now in Uttarakhand and we have talked to him in details over how to execute the project. We have appealed to the Union Government to take up the task of executing the project on 90:10 ratio, given the limited resources of the two States involved,” CM said.
“Himachal Pradesh chief secretary P Mitra and our chief secretary N Ravishankar had detailed discussion on Kisau project,” he said, adding that the project holds immense importance for both the States. Notably, Kishau and Renuka projects were treated as national projects when the present CM of Uttarakhand was Union minister for Water Resources in the Manmonhan Singh Government. It was agreed during that time that while the Centre would bear 90 percent of the expenses and the two States involved would bear 5 percent each.
Expressing his dismay over the winding up of Planning Commission, CM said both the States are the major losers of this arbitrary decision of the Centre. To retain/regain the status of special States, both the States must collaborate, he said. He expressed hope that mutual understanding between the two States, Kishau project would be commissioned.
Talking about President Pranab Mukherjee’s upcoming visit, he said the people of the State are eagerly waiting for it, the first since the leader became President. “I talked to the Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal in Vidhan Sabha over the nitty-gritty of the visit on Saturday,” he said. Dwelling on the matter of his announcements being executed on the ground, Rawat said he is pretty serious over the issue. “I would take stock of things at a meeting to be held any day by May 25. We would see to it that the fruits of the projects the state government announces reach to the people,” he added. Reacting to the media report that Friday’s accident involving the leader of the Opposition, Ajay Bhatt was intended to hurt him, CM said he has asked the district magistrate and the SSP to investigate it thoroughly. “We would not spare anybody if found guilty,” he assured.