Faridabad, November 17
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has strongly advocated for Himachal Pradesh legitimate right of 7.19 per cent share on Chandigarh, in its land and assets. This is as per mandate under the Punjab Reorganization Act, 1966. He also referred to the Supreme court’s judgment of 2011 which held, that Himachal Pradesh is entitled to a share of 7.19 percent in the composite Punjab, on the basis of population ratio transfer under the Punjab re-organization Act and this was the basis for the legitimate share in the power also being generated by BBMB.
The Chief Minister was addressing the 32nd meeting of the Northern Zonal Council held in Faridabad, Haryana, under the chairmanship of Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah. He also sought the release of pending dues from the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) as per the Supreme Court’s decision and appointment of a permanent member from Himachal in the BBMB. He also urged for implementation of the policy granting 12 per cent free power royalty to the State in centrally operated hydropower projects and enhancement of Himachal’s free royalty to 50 percent in projects where the cost has already been recovered.
Sukhu urged that the issue be placed on the agenda of the next meeting of the Northern Zonal Council to ensure Himachal receives its lawful entitlement. He requested that hydropower projects in Himachal Pradesh that have completed 40 years be handed over to the State. The Chief Minister sought full central funding of the power components of the under-construction Kishau and Renuka dam hydel projects and demanded that once completed, 50-50 percent electricity be provided to Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
Sukhu urged the Centre to review disaster relief rules and to suitably revise pre and post-disaster management norms in view of the increasing vulnerability of hill states. He called for a unified, interdependent and sustainable development framework for the entire northern region in view of the rising frequency of natural disasters caused by climate change and the extensive loss they inflict every year. He said that such a coordinated plan was essential to protect the economy of hill states like Himachal Pradesh and to minimize valuable human loss through collective and focused efforts.
Highlighting the State’s strategic location and tourism potential, Sukhu stressed the urgent need to expand the air network in Himachal. He informed that the State Government was working on expanding the Kangra Airport having International level facility and requested the Centre to bear the land acquisition cost, provide full funding for the project, and prepare a separate master plan for developing small airports and heliports in the State.
The Chief Minister proposed the establishment of a high altitude research centre, ice hockey stadium, an adventure sports centre and other training facilities in border and high-altitude areas to support local habitation and promote tourism. He also requested the initiation of the National Buddhist Institute project in the tribal area of Spiti. The Chief Minister detailed about the efforts the government has taken tos promote border tourism from Shipki-La along with Indo-Tibet border and reiterated the State’s demand to start the sacred Kailash Mansarovar Yatra from Shipki-La.
Referring to the State’s fight against narcotics, the Chief Minister said that Himachal Pradesh was carrying out multi-dimensional action against drug trafficking. Along with strict enforcement of law and order, large-scale efforts were being made for treatment and rehabilitation of drug -affected individuals. He informed that a three-month extensive awareness campaign has been launched to eradicate dangerous substances like Chitta.
The Chief Minister also highlighted strict compliance with the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 in the State and reaffirmed Himachal’s zero-tolerance policy towards such crimes. Sukhu urged early resolution of the inter-state boundary issues between Himachal Pradesh and the Union Territory of Ladakh in the Sarchu and Shinkula regions. He requested that the sub-office of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change in Shimla be upgraded to an integrated regional office and sought timely approvals for forest-related cases under the Forest Conservation Act.
Sukhu further sought permission under the Act to allow up to one bigha of forest land for housing construction for disaster-affected families, noting that almost all land in the State, other than private holdings, falls under the technical definition of forest land.
The Chief Minister said that despite its difficult financial position, the State has provided a special relief package to disaster-affected families, but was still awaiting nearly Rs.10,000 crore under the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment, (PDNA) along with the Rs.1,500 crore package announced by the Prime Minister. He requested early release of the entire amount.
Sukhu also called for the creation of a special task force to compensate Himachal for the revenue deficit of Rs.9,478 crore for the period up to 2023-24, even after the end of GST compensation. He emphasized that Himachal and the Himalayas were crucial for environmental conservation and for ensuring clean water availability across North India. The State Government is working at multiple levels to make Himachal a ‘Green State’. Chief Ministers, Lieutenant Governors and senior officers from member States and Union Territories of the Northern Zonal Council attended the meeting.
