The Himachal Pradesh High Court has passed an important order and has attached the Himachal Bhawan to Delhi. The court has allowed the power company to auction the Himachal Bhawan, so that it can recover its Rs 64 crore. This amount now including interest is Rs. 150 crore has been reached. Justice Ajay Mohan Goyal gave this order, which has left the state government helpless and created an uproar in the secretariat.
A big blow to the government
This decision signals a serious crisis for the Sukhu government of Himachal Pradesh, as the court has ordered the power company to auction the Himachal Bhavan not only its money but also the liability of councilors and officials in terms of initial premium has been raised. The court ordered that the Principal Secretary Electricity conduct a fact-finding inquiry into the matter and find out which officials were responsible for not depositing the amount on time. The court also said that the interest amount should be recovered from the responsible officials.
CM Sukhu’s statement came
In this regard, Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu said that he has not yet read the order of the High Court, but he clarified that this advance premium was taken under a policy, which was formulated during the Energy Policy in 2006. Sukhu said the decision in this regard was taken by arbitration and his government challenged the decision in the High Court. However, the government has allocated Rs. 64 crore has not been deposited, due to which the matter is pending in court.
The former chief minister raised questions
Expressing his concern over the issue, former Chief Minister of the state Jai Ram Thakur said, “The High Court order came on January 13, 2023, but the government did not take it seriously. This is a very serious issue for Himachal Pradesh and if these conditions continue, Himachal Bhavan may be auctioned.” He said that regarding Sali Hydroelectric Project Rs. 64 crore due to delay in payment of premium, this amount has now increased to around Rs. 150 crore has been done. Jairam Thakur warned that if the government does not take the court orders seriously, not only the Himachal Bhavan but also the Secretariat may be auctioned. It raises questions on the government’s fiscal policies and decisions.
Next hearing on December 6
The Himachal Pradesh High Court has ordered that the fact-finding inquiry be completed within 15 days and the next hearing of the case will be on December 6. Marking the need for prompt action in the case, the court warned the government about payment of a sum of Rs 64 crore.
What is the matter?
The case relates to the Sally Hydroelectric Power Project, which was awarded to the Moser Beer Company for a 400 MW hydro power project on the Chenab River in Lahaul Spiti. But the project could not materialize and the matter went to arbitration, where the decision was in favor of the company. Arbitrator awarded Rs. 64 crore was ordered to be paid as premium, but the government did not deposit the amount on time, due to which the amount including interest increased to around Rs. 150 crores. The court had earlier ordered the government to deposit the amount, but the government ignored it. For this reason Himachal Bhavan was ordered to be annexed and now the auction process can begin.
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