Over six months into power in Himachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu asserts that the State has been deprived of its legitimate rights from the very beginning, and the Congress government intends to resolve, on priority, the long-standing issues surrounding its rights with the neighbouring States which have been in abeyance for several years.
In an exclusive interview with The Hindu, Mr. Sukhu says his government had inherited a debt of over ₹75,000 crore from the previous Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) regime. To revive the economy the government is focussing on harnessing hydro, hydrogen, and solar energy resources, besides adhering to fiscal discipline.
Putting an end to speculation regarding Cabinet expansion, he says that all three vacant positions in his Cabinet would be filled soon, for which deliberations have been completed and the nod from ‘high command’ is awaited.
Excerpts:
What have been the achievements of the new Congress government led by you in Himachal Pradesh so far?
Our biggest achievement is the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme [OPS], which was one of the key promises made by the Congress in the 2022 Assembly poll. Despite a legacy debt of over ₹75,000 crore from the previous BJP government, we decided to implement the OPS. The purpose of giving OPS was not political, elections were over and if we wanted, we could have implemented it during our five-year term, but we immediately restored the OPS keeping in view the social and humanitarian aspects.
You have demanded Himachal Pradesh’s share in the Union Territory of Chandigarh, but Punjab has dismissed your claim. How do you react?
We are not asking anything from Punjab. In fact they [Punjab] do not even have anything to give; we don’t want an inch of land from Punjab. What we are asking is that the Government of India should secure our legitimate right over the Union Territory of Chandigarh. As per the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966, Himachal Pradesh is entitled to a 7.19% share in Chandigarh. Himachal Pradesh has been deprived of this right, which is a grave injustice to its people. Political remarks by leaders in Punjab can’t change the law, it could only serve their political aspirations. We want to address all the long-standing issues of [our] rights with the neighbouring States, which have been in abeyance for several years.
Punjab and Haryana are at loggerheads over water-sharing through the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal. Against this backdrop, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal approached you for routing SYL canal water via Himachal to Haryana. What’s the progress?
I recently met the Haryana Chief Minister and during the meeting, Mr. Manohar Lal said that Haryana was keen to bring river water from Himachal and was ready for making the investment. I told him that giving water is considered virtuous in Hindu tradition. You invest and take water, we don’t have any problem in giving water, we are all citizens of India. Not just Haryana, we are even ready to give water to Delhi, if needed. As far as Punjab raising the concern about it being a riparian State and that Haryana doesn’t have a right to Sutlej river water goes, I firmly believe that citizens of India have a right everywhere. Politics should not be played around issues that cause harm to States as well as the country.
“Over the years, the State has witnessed an investment drain, where its natural resources were exploited [and] the State didn’t get the deserving reward for its raw materials.”Sukhvinder Singh SukhuHimachal Pradesh Chief Minister
Himachal recently imposed cess for the water drawn for hydropower generation, which has been opposed by Punjab and Haryana. What do you have to say?
The water cess has not been imposed on Punjab or Haryana. The cess has not been imposed on river water flowing downwards to any State. Himachal has around 172 hydroprojects, and they have erected dams, we have imposed cess on the water in these dams, which is being used to generate power (electricity). Chief Ministers of both Punjab and Haryana should not oppose the move.
Himachal is asking Punjab to hand over the Shanan Hydropower Project, which is situated in Himachal, but Punjab is denying it. What do you have to say?
The 99-year-old lease of the Shanan hydel project, which is situated in Jogindernagar is expiring in March 2024, and hence Punjab shall not have any claim over that property. The ownership rights of the Shanan project do not rest with the Punjab government as it was only given on lease to the Punjab government. I have apprised the Central government about all the issues related to ownership. Being a big brother, Punjab should hand over the Shanan project to Himachal Pradesh.
Also read | ‘A long-runing dispute’ for a history of the tussle between Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Haryana
Himachal Pradesh is facing a financial crunch, what’s your revival plan?
To revive the economy, we have brought a schemes-based State budget, which include new measures to generate revenue. We have set targets to harness hydro, hydrogen, and solar energy to make Himachal a green energy State, and linked it with employment generation. Over the years, the State has witnessed an investment drain, where its natural resources were exploited [and] the State didn’t get the deserving reward for its raw materials.
Himachal has two key sectors — hydro and tourism. In hydro, there has been a big investment drain, water is a raw material and power [electricity] is a finished good, and we should get handsome royalty, which we have been deprived of. It was in the mid-1990s that we started getting a 12% free power royalty share in power projects; this share needs to go up. All the projects that have achieved the payback [debt period] should increase the royalty share to at least 50%.
Earlier, there was hardly any investment in the tourism sector but now we have decided to go in for investment in high-end tourism.
Do you have any plans to expand your Cabinet?
Yes, the Cabinet expansion is likely to take place in the next few days. After deliberations, the names have been finalised and we are waiting for the nod from the ‘high command’. There are three ministerial berths vacant in my Cabinet, and all of them will be filled soon in one go.
