Himachal Bhawan to be auctioned
The Himachal Pradesh High Court passed an important order and attached Himachal Bhawan located in Delhi. The court has given permission to the power company to auction Himachal Bhawan, so that it can recover its amount of Rs 64 crore. This amount has now reached close to Rs 150 crore, including interest. This order was passed by Justice Ajay Mohan Goyal, leaving the state government helpless and there was an uproar in the secretariat.
Big blow to the government
This decision signals a serious crisis for the Sukhu government in Himachal Pradesh as the court ordered the power company to auction Himachal Bhavan to recover not only its money but also the liability of the councilor and officials in terms of initial premium. been raised. The court has ordered the Principal Secretary Electricity to conduct an inquiry into the matter and determine 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
On this matter, Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu said he is yet to read the High Court order but clarified that this advance premium was taken under a policy that was formulated during the energy policy in 2006. Sukhu said that the decision in this regard was taken through arbitration and that his government had challenged the decision in the High Court. However, the government did not deposit the amount of Rs 64 million, so the matter is pending in court.
Former Chief Minister raised doubts
Expressing concern over this issue, former state chief minister 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 this conditions continue, Himachal Bhawan may be auctioned.” He said that due to delay in payment of premium of Rs 64 million related to Sali Hydroelectric Project, this amount has now increased to approximately Rs 150 million. Jairam Thakur warned that if the government did not take the court orders seriously, not only Himachal Bhawan but also the Secretariat could be auctioned. It raises questions about the government’s financial policies and decisions.
Next hearing on December 6
The Himachal Pradesh High Court ordered that the fact-finding investigation be completed within 15 days and the next hearing of the case will be on December 6. Pointing out the need to act quickly in this case, the court warned the government against paying an amount of Rs 64 million.
What is the problem?
The case pertains to the Seli Hydroelectric Power Project, which was awarded to Moser Beer Company for a 400 MW hydroelectric project on the Chenab river in Lahaul Spiti. But the project could not be implemented and the matter went to arbitration, where the decision was favorable to the company. The arbitrator ordered the payment of a premium of Rs 64 million, but the government did not deposit the amount on time, so the amount, including interest, increased to around Rs 150 million. The court had already ordered the government to deposit the amount, but the government ignored it. For this reason, an order was given to attach Himachal Bhawan and now the auction process can be started.
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