Attachment of Himachal Bhawan: CM says state govt to take legal recourse

Shimla: Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Tuesday said his govt would take appropriate legal measures against the high court’s decision to attach Himachal Bhawan in New Delhi and advocate the case vigorously to protect the state’s interests.
The CM told the mediapersons that the 320 megawatt (MW) Seli Hydel Electric Project on the Chenab river in Lahaul-Spiti district was awarded to the company in 2009 and according to the then power policy, there was no provision to refund the upfront premium in case the detailed project report was submitted, reasoning that the project was not financially viable, irrespective of whether a company succeeded in setting up the power project or not.
Sukhu said under the then power policy, there was a provision to pay Rs 10 lakh per MW to the state, but during the competitive bidding M/s Moser Baer Project Private Limited quoted Rs 20 lakh per MW and deposited an upfront premium of Rs 64 crore.
The CM said he was aware of the power policy’s provision because it was framed when Vidya Stokes was the power minister and he himself, as an MLA at that time, contributed to the framing of the policy.
Targeting the opposition BJP, the CM claimed that the leader of opposition Jai Ram Thakur distributed freebies worth Rs 5,000 crore ahead of assembly elections in 2022, calling it a virtual auction of the state resources.
Sukhu said the state govt had also been successful in securing the decision from the high court in the Adani case in favour of the state. But during the previous BJP govt, the then chief minister, Jairam Thakur, did not even bother to challenge the adverse verdict by the single bench of the high court in the case. The incumbent state govt, on the other hand, pleaded the case before the division bench, saving Rs 280 crore of the state by forcefully taking the pleas of the agreement, he added.