Kashyap seeks funds for Renuka Dam

Tribune News Service

Shimla, May 10

Shimla MP Virender Kashyap today requested Union Water Resources and River Development Minister Uma Bharti to release an additional sum of Rs 1981.35 crore for acquiring land and carrying out relief/ rehabilitation works for the Renuka Dam project in Sirmaur district.

He said there were no funds to execute the project which was of national importance and could solve the water problem of Delhi permanently.

Kashyap said the allocation of Rs 50 crore made by the Union Finance Ministry in the 2014-15 budget had not been released by the Delhi Jal Board as yet.

He said a total sum of Rs 272.85 crore had been spent on the project up to January 31, 2016, against the total amount of Rs 239.84 crore given by the Delhi and Haryana governments.

The MP said a sum of Rs 33.01 crore had been spent by the Himachal government from its own resources in compliance with the High Court orders to release the payment of landowners.

He sought constitution of a Renuka Dam project authority to complete the work in a time-bound manner. Kashyap said the Renuka Dam project was the water storage scheme on the Giri, which was part of the upper Yamuna basins having seasonal live storage of 49,800 hectare metre for continuous supply of 23 cusecs to Delhi.

He added that the project would generate hydro electricity of 40 MW during the peak hours and requested Bharti to take positive and concrete step for the early completion of the project.