Site for Army ammo depot identified

Kuldeep Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, May 20

The protracted dispute over the relocation of the Army’s ammunition depot at Powari in Kinnaur between Himachal Power Corporation Ltd (HPCL) and the Army seems to have ended as the Kinnaur district administration has selected about 300 acres near Sasho in Pooh subdivision for the purpose.

“We have selected the land near Sasho in Pooh, upstream from the Powari site. The joint inspection of the land was carried out by the district administration and the Army recently,” Kinnaur Deputy Commissioner Naresh Lath told The Tribune. “The Army authorities have expressed satisfaction over the site and we hope that the site will fit the bill,” he added.

The Army had demanded about 600 acres to relocate its ammunition depot from Powari, which faces eviction due to the 450 MW Karcham-Wangtoo power project coming up on the left bank of the Satluj. “But the Army will have to narrow down its demand to 300 acres or so as the plain land measuring 600 acres is not possible in mountainous region of Himachal,” said officials.

Earlier, the Army had agreed to shift its ammunition depot from Powari to Jhangi. But the Jhangi site was opposed by local tribals on the ground that it was home to the rare chilgoza forest which will have to be axed to clear the site for the depot.

The Army had stalled the project work last year, but the Ministry of Defence later allowed HPCL to carry out “non-hazardous activities at the site after the state government took up the matter with the ministry last year.

HPCL started the work on the project in 2012 after the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) gave its clearance to the project. But HPCL has not got the clearance or NOC from the Ministry of Defence to use the site to move its machineries, sources said.

HPCL managing director DK Sharma said the issue had been resolved for the time being as they were working in coordination with the Army. The project posed no hazard to the Army depot and was not acquiring any land there, but the district administration had identified the land for the Army, he added.

The Army had cited the strategic importance of the Powari ammunition depot functioning there since decades. But the Army has yet to take a final call on the new site as it has to get all clearances from the state and Central governments that may take years together, revealed the Army sources.

However, the district administration has offered all assistance. “We will assist the Army and will allot them as much land as they want,” Lath added.