Himachal Pradesh Governor Bandaru Dattateaya has requested the Centre to expedite granting investment clearance to the 40MW Renukaji Dam project so that its proposal gets approved from the cabinet committee on economic affairs (CCEA) and construction can be started soon.

In a written communiqué to Union minister for Jal Shakti, water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, the governor said that the state is committed towards fulfilling the objectives of the project and all technical clearances have been obtained.

He said statutory clearances including environmental and forest clearance Stage-1 of the project have also been obtained.

“Only forest clearance Stage–II is left, which will be obtained after getting funds from Centre and subsequent deposition of Rs 577.62 crore in the state compensatory afforestation (CAMPA) fund account,” he said.

Dattatraya said the project is of national importance and will provide 0.498 BCM live storage in its reservoir and water supply to the tune of 23 cusecs to Delhi.

Six states of the Yamuna basin - Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan – will benefit from the project, he added.