Defaulter hydro project units to face legal action: Minister

The Himachal Pradesh government will take legal action against hyro projects and other industrial units who have encroached on the government land or not paid the lease money, Revenue minister Kaul Singh Thakur told Assembly today.
The minister said that committees under the chairmanship of divisional commissioners with respective deputy commissioners as members would be constituted to look into the violations and penalty recommended by the committees would be imposed on the defaulters.
Admitting that some of the hydro power and industrial units have even changed the land use, he assured the House that they would not be spared.
Thakur said that in a notification issued by chairman Himachal Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission all the details from these hydro projects have been sought.

The state government has given land on lease in 47 cases during the last three years, which included trusts, public undertakings, hydro projects, industry and others and has collected Rs 60,95,96,841 as lease money.
The minister said that in six cases in Kullu district the lease period had expired and the state government has ordered resumption of land from these units.
He said that state government has also cancelled the lease of 96.02 bighas of land given to Patanajai Yogpeeth Trust of Baba Ramdev, but the matter is pending in the court.