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Uttarakhand Power engineers body demands rollback of UJVN land transfer at Dakpathar

Dehradun, Feb 10 (PTI) ​The All India Power Engineers Federation on Tuesday raised strong objection to the Uttarakhand government's decision to transfer 76.73 hectares of land belonging to state-run UJVN Limited at Dakpathar and demanded that the order be withdrawn immediately.
     In a letter to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) chairman, Shailendra Dubey, said that a government order dated December 3, 2025, directed the transfer of this land to the Uttarakhand Investment and Infrastructure Development Board (UIIDB).
     He added that the Dehradun district administration has been ordered to carry out mutation, demarcation and acquisition of the land, a move that has caused serious concern within the power sector.
     Dubey said that the land was allocated during the time of undivided Uttar Pradesh to support the current operations and future expansion of hydroelectric projects.
     He pointed out that several critical projects, including Yamuna Stage-I and Stage-II, Vyasi, Lakhwar, Kishau, and Tons, are either operational or under construction in the Dakpathar area. Providing alternative land for these projects is nearly impossible due to the local geographical conditions, he said.
     Calling the state government's decision against the interests of Uttarakhand and the energy sector, Dubey warned that the transfer would compromise regional energy security.
     He said that it would also affect the construction of national projects such as Lakhwar and Kishau, which are crucial for the Centre's Yamuna rejuvenation programme.
     The AIPEF has sought the effective intervention to cancel the order immediately. Dubey warned that power employees and engineers across the country would be forced to launch a nationwide agitation if an attempt is made to unilaterally hand over power sector land to the private sector.
     The proposal to transfer 182 acres of land in Dakpathar has already triggered strong local resistance. Residents, traders and employees of the state's three power utilities -- UJVN Limited, UPCL and PITCUL -- have been protesting the move for some time, with the federation now joining the opposition.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)