SDM orders dismantling of structure at Karchham-Wangtoo dam

The 1000 MW Karchham-Wangtoo hydropower project in Kinnaur district has run into trouble with the SDM court in Bhawanagar holding that a portion of the dam structure has been built on land which was never leased out to the executing company and ordering it to be dismantled.
According to the SDM court, the lease of the land on which the said portion of the dam has been constructed was not in the name of the company and as such it could not raise any structure on it.
"We have given them a period of thirty days to implement the order and in the meanwhile they are free to appeal in the higher court," SDM Vivek Chauhan said today.

"The land on which the portion of the dam structure in question was raised did not belong to the company and was hence illegal and we have also imposed a fine of Rs 5.19 lakh on the company," he said.
The court order came on a plea filed by the revenue department in 2010, wherein it had submitted that a part of the dam was constructed on land which had not been given to the company.
The area of the land involved was 12.50 bighas, for which the company had allegedly never applied for lease. It has reportedly invested more than Rs 100 crores on the dam structure.