Year on, solar power project yet to see light of day in Ladakh

Arteev Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jammu, May 25

The Centre’s ambitious ‘Ultra Mega Solar Power’ project for Ladakh has failed to see the light of day even though almost a year has lapsed since the BJP-led NDA government allotted funds for its execution.

The official indifference can be gauged from the fact that no process has been initiated as yet to identify the land for the project.

The project may also face “political and administrative hiccups” as the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh, which is the politically governing body of the district, has categorically said it would not allow the Centre to forcibly acquire land from people of Leh until it explained how the project would benefit the local population.

Saugat Biswas, Deputy Commissioner, Leh, said he was also not clear about the exact status of the project.

Jigmet Takpa, Project Director, Ladakh Renewable Energy Development Agency (LREDA), said: “The LREDA and the LAHDC have not been consulted for the project so far. We have learnt that several meetings have already taken place at the central and the state government level but we were never consulted about the project. We don’t know what the present status of the project is”.

In July last year, the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, in its maiden Budget, had announced four ultra mega solar power projects, including one for the Ladakh region. An amount of Rs 500 crore was set aside for these projects.

Rigzin Spalbar, Chief Executive Councillor, LAHDC, Leh, said: “We have put forth certain conditions before the execution of the project in Leh. The Centre will have to tell the people of Ladakh what benefits the people will get in lieu of a large chunk of land coming under the project. We will strongly oppose the project if the Central government makes any attempt to acquire the land forcibly from the people.”

He said hundreds of square kilometres of land would be required for establishing the project in Leh. “They would send both energy and money outside Ladakh, thereby depriving the people of Ladakh of their genuine rights. Our concern is that they should clear the air about our apprehensions and about the benefits that Ladakh will get from this project,” Spalbar said.

The Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, headed by Farooq Abdullah, in UPA-II government had conceived one of the largest solar energy project in the world with a capacity a 5,000 MW in Ladakh about three years back.

The project was planned in the Changthang area of Leh near the China border and it is said to have a capacity more than three times the country’s installed solar capacity. Ladakh possesses the potential of 30,000 MW of solar energy.