The signing of the pact for the implementation of the 422-MW Kishau multi-purpose project between six states has triggered a war of words between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over credit for resolving the long-pending project.

The dam is to be constructed at an estimated cost of ₹15,624 crore on the Tons river, a tributary of Yamuna, on the border of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.

State Congress president Vinay Kumar credited chief minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu with protecting the state’s interest.

“This agreement would prove to be an important step towards making the state self-reliant. Full credit for this project goes to the chief minister. While the previous BJP government failed to take any meaningful decisions on this project during its tenure,” Kumar said.

The project envisages the construction of a 232.6-metre-high concrete gravity dam on the Tons River, which flows along the Uttarakhand-Himachal Pradesh border, with a water storage capacity of 1,562 million cubic metres. The project will potentially irrigate 97,000 hectares of land and generate 1,476 million units of clean hydropower, Union home minister Amit Shah said after the signing of the pact. “Under the agreement, the Centre will bear approximately 90% of the financial burden, while the remaining 10% will be borne by the participating states in accordance with the 1994 agreement,” Shah added.

Industries minister Harshwardhan Chauhan said the project had remained pending for around 25-30 years because of differences over its terms, cost-sharing and other conditions.

“If the Centre wants to call it its achievement, that is a separate matter. But Himachal Pradesh has protected its interests. Our conditions were accepted and implemented. Himachal will not put in even a single rupee and will receive revenue annually,” he said.

Himachal CM desperate to claim credit: Thakur

Meanwhile, Hamirpur MP Anurag Singh Thakur hit back at the Congress, saying the issue was resolved under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the central government, through dialogue, consensus and cooperation among the participating states.

“Several Congress governments ruled at the Centre and in the states over the past six decades, yet they failed to resolve the outstanding issues concerning this important project. It is the Modi government that has taken the initiative to resolve this long-pending matter,” Thakur said.

“It is unfortunate that an agreement involving the interests of six states, achieved through the leadership and coordination of the central government, is being presented by the Himachal Pradesh chief minister as an individual political achievement. Is the chief minister so desperate to claim credit that he is unwilling to acknowledge the contribution of the Centre and other participating states?” Thakur questioned.

Leader of Opposition and former chief minister Jai Ram Thakur said the project reflected coordination and consensus between the Centre and the states. “Its construction will not only help meet the nation’s energy requirements but also assist in addressing the drinking water crisis,” he said.