Uttarakhand to unveil policy for small hydel projects: CM

Says our govnt will bring a separate policy for the allotment of small hydel projects with a capacity of one to two Mw

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Tuesday said his government would bring a separate policy for the allotment of small hydel projects with capacity of one to two Megawatts (Mw).

Rawat said, "Our government will bring a separate policy for the allotment of small hydel projects with a capacity of one to two Mw."

However, the chief minister said the Supreme Court had given a favourable ruling for the allotment of hydel projects. "But, we are studying this Supreme Court ruling and would take necessary actions accordingly," Rawat said. He also said the Supreme Court had rejected the allotment of 56 hydel projects during the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.

Under the 2008 power policy, former BJP government had received 741 bids for setting up hydel projects upto 25 Mw through self-identified route. In the beginning of 2010, the government headed by the then chief minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank quietly allotted 56 hydel projects. But few months later, the government abruptly cancelled the entire allotment process after facing corruption allegations.

Later, the high court also upheld the government's decision to cancel the allotment of the 56 hydel projects. Interestingly, late Ponty Chadha's liquor companies had bagged over a dozen hydel projects.

But the controversy erupted when allegations started floating in the media that the government had out of way favoured the liquor companies owned by Chadha.

However, the case later reached the Supreme Court where the chief minister said it had now given a favourable ruling for the allotment of hydel projects.