Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has urged the Centre to allow the early resumption of construction works on hydropower projects that have been halted for over a decade. He said that his government is facing a significant challenge in addressing the state’s power shortage, and permission to restart these power projects is urgently needed.

Despite all efforts to resume construction on more than 20 power projects along the Alaknanda, Bhagirathi, and their tributaries, the Dhami government has now decided to focus only on the projects approved by the Supreme Court’s expert panel but stalled by the Jal Shakti Department. Facing persistent blockades from the Jal Shakti Mission Department, Chief Minister Dhami met with Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil in Delhi on Thursday and requested approval to proceed with the projects cleared by the Supreme Court, especially those not located on the Ganga River and its tributaries.

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It’s notable that the Supreme Court had banned all hydropower projects proposed or under construction in the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda River valleys after the 2013 rain disaster, which led to massive loss of human lives and properties in the state. However, the ban on nearly 20 projects was lifted by the expert panel constituted by the Centre on the direction of the apex court. Dhami informed Patil that no ban was imposed on proposed hydroelectric projects in river valleys other than the Ganga and its tributaries in Uttarakhand. Dhami also mentioned that in a meeting chaired by the Principal Secretary of the Prime Minister’s Office, permission was granted to resume construction on only seven projects, half of which were completed, and no new projects were cleared.

The Chief Minister stressed that the Central Water Commission and the Ministry of Water Resources have not yet granted approval for the development of projects proposed in the Dhauliganga and Gauriganga river valleys in Pithoragarh district. He emphasised that these approvals are crucial for augmenting the state’s economy. The Chief Minister also requested Union Minister Patil to expedite the issuance of the drawing for the Lakhwar Multipurpose project in Dehradun, which has been pending for nearly a year.

The Chief Minister told Patil, “Water is an important means of socio-economic growth in Uttarakhand, and hydropower projects are key to enhancing the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). To meet its power demands, we are compelled to purchase energy worth Rs 1,000 crore annually from the open market. The state is currently able to harness only 4,200 MW of its estimated 25,000 MW hydroelectric power potential from various rivers.