The 100-MW Uhal-III hydroelectricity project here may miss another deadline, December 2013, as the engineers and contractor of the Beas Valley Power Corporation (BVPC) are facing water ingress in the 8.5-km tunnel, of which about a 65-metre stretch is yet to be excavated.

The delay has pushed up the cost of the project to about Rs 1,000 crore, making it the second most expensive project executed by state-run corporations after the 126-MW Larji project. According to the BVPC engineers, the water ingress and lack of ventilation inside the tunnel have become major problems. The ingress is flowing at 200 litres per second, posing a hazard to workers, they say.

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