Himachal Bhavan will be auctioned
Himachal Pradesh High Court has 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, due to which the state government has become helpless and there has been a stir in the secretariat.
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 Himachal Bhavan to recover not only its money but also the responsibility of the councilor and officials in terms of initial premium. Questions have also been raised. The court has ordered that the Principal Secretary Electricity should conduct a fact-finding investigation into the matter and find out which officers were responsible for not depositing the amount on time. The court also said that the interest amount should be recovered from those responsible officers.
CM Sukhu’s statement came
On this matter, Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu said that he has not yet read the High Court order, but he clarified that this advance premium was taken under a policy, which was formulated during the energy policy in 2006. Sukhu said that the decision in this regard was taken by arbitration and his government had challenged this decision in the High Court. However, the government did not deposit the amount of Rs 64 crore, due to which the matter is pending in the court.
Former Chief Minister raised questions
Expressing his 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 If the conditions continue, Himachal Bhawan may be auctioned.” He said that due to delay in payment of premium of Rs 64 crore related to Sali Hydroelectric Project, this amount has now increased to about Rs 150 crore. 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 on the financial policies and decisions of the government.
Next hearing on 6th December
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. Marking the need for prompt action in this case, the court has warned the government about payment of an amount of Rs 64 crore.
What is the matter?
The case pertains to the Seli Hydroelectric Power Project, which was awarded to Moser Beer Company for a 400 MW hydro power project on the Chenab River in Lahaul Spiti. But the project could not be implemented and the matter went to arbitration, where the decision came in favor of the company. The arbitrator ordered payment of premium of Rs 64 crore, but the government did not deposit the amount on time, due to which the amount including interest increased to about Rs 150 crore. The court had already ordered the government to deposit the amount, but the government ignored it. For this reason, order was given to attach Himachal Bhawan and now the auction process can be started.
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