More than five months after the leak in the penstock of the hydroelectric project near Multhan village in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district, the repair and maintenance work is yet to be done as the impasse between the project management and villagers continues over the issue of compensation.

While the project management maintains that they are ready to pay the compensation calculated by the revenue department, the villagers are demanding more.

The project management has expressed concern and claims that the villagers are not allowing the project authorities to use the road in their village to access the project site to repair the leakage point of the penstock and make the project functional.

On May 10, the 25 MW Lambadug Hydroelectric Project suffered a leak in its penstock, causing damage to property and agricultural land at Multhan village in the Chhota Bhangal (Barot) region of Kangra district. The gushing water from the project entered houses, shops and farmlands as panicked residents rushed to safer places.

The Lambadug Hydroelectric Power Project is being implemented by Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Limited (MEIL), which is a holding company of KU Hydro Power Private Limited.

Harpal Singh, Joint Chief Operating Officer of KU Hydro Private Limited, said the deadlock still continues between the residents of Multhan village and KU Hydro. “We had appealed in the Supreme Court on September 13, after which the court on September 17 directed the Deputy Commissioner to resolve the matter within three weeks,” he added.

– The problem is still not solved and the restoration work is at a standstill. After the incident, the revenue department calculated a total loss in the order of magnitude ₹2.24 crore and KU Hydro is ready to deposit the money in government accounts for further payments to the villagers. The residents of Multhan ask ₹25 lakh compensation to each family, while the details of the families are not available, Singh said.

KU hydro had last month approached the Himachal Pradesh High Court, claiming that the residents of Multhan village are not allowing the project authorities to use a road in their village to access the project site to repair the leak point of the penstock and to make the project work. The villagers demand more compensation.

The Supreme Court had ordered Deputy Commissioner Kangra to take appropriate steps to resolve the impasse between the project authorities and the villagers of Multhan, and enable them to use the road through the village to access the project site to repair the leak point of the penstock.

The court had also ordered the Kangra DC to hold meetings with all the stakeholders in the case and also protect the interests of the villagers.

Multhan panchayat pradhan Suresh Kumar (Bhanto) said that the agricultural land of the local villagers has been destroyed to such a level that it will remain unusable for the next 10 to 15 years. “The villagers are seeking compensation according to their crop losses. While shopkeepers in the market have received ten times more compensation, the project authorities are reluctant to give the compensation demanded by the villagers,” he said.

“They are not engaging with the Panchayat or the villagers. The villagers blocked access to the project after being targeted by the project management. It is important that they deal with the Panchayat and the community to address the damage. Until a satisfactory agreement is reached, we will not to allow them to use our road,” he added.

Meanwhile, Kangra DC Hemraj Bairwa said, “We are trying to make the villagers understand that this situation is also affecting the exchequer as the project is still not working. We sympathize with the villagers and feel that they should be given genuine compensation. The company is offering them a compensation that exceeds their losses.” We are trying to persuade them, and if necessary, we will take appropriate action in due course.”