Return Of Power Projects
Asks NC-Led Govt To Come Clean On Nefarious Deal
Srinagar – The Kashmir Centre for Social and Development Studies (KCSDS) today expressed its shock and anguish at the irresponsible remarks of union power minister, Veerapa Moily, and union power secretary, P Umma Shankar, on the return of power projects
to Jammu and Kashmir. It asked the National Conference-led coalition to come clean on the claim that the state government had settled the issue with the centre.
According to reports, Moily and Shankar have not only categorically rejected the return of the major power projects under the illegal and unauthorized control of the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation, to the state, but even hailed the power giant for running these projects nicely.
The KCSDS believes that the statements of power minister and power secretary reflect the policies of deceit and duplicity by central and state governments. Before the issue degenerates into a major political controversy with disastrous consequences, the state government needs to make it clear whether it has entered into any nefarious deal with the central government on power projects, the KCSDS said in a statement.
At an emergency meeting held here with chairperson, Prof Hameedah Nayeem, in chair, the KCSDS said these statements were unacceptable to the people of the state who, over the decades, have been forced to reel under darkness while the NHPC takes away the power generated from its water resources. The statements are a reflection of the imperialistic attitude of central government towards Jammu and Kashmir where it is hell bent on robbing the people of their natural resources, it said.
The union power ministry as well as the NHPC has failed to produce any legal document that could justify their control over Salal, Uri, Dul Hasti and other power projects, the meeting
observed, adding that even several J&K ministers were on record for having termed the NHPC control on these projects as illegal and unconstitutional because the Corporation is neither in possession of any license to generate power in terms of J&K State Electricity Act nor has any lease documents for the land and property over which these projects have been set up.
The KCSDS regretted that ever since the NHPC entered Jammu and Kashmir, it has plundered the water resources inflicting colossal recurring losses on the states fragile economy. Further, the NHPC has prima facie been found involved in misplacing the official records about Salal power project from which the state was due to receive 50 per cent share in terms of a cabinet order of 1975.
Besides, the KCSDS said, the Corporation had made the state to suffer more than Rs 2500 crore loss over a period of time by fraudulently providing less energy than agreed upon. With such credentials, the NHPC can be hailed only by those who are actually working against the genuine interests of the state and its people, it said.
It may be recalled the chief minister, Omar Abdullah, who also holds the power portfolio, and his minister for PHE and Irrigation, Taj Mohi-ud-din, from Congress, have made no bones over several years past that the NHPC were holding major power projects in J&K, including Salal, Uri and Dul Hasti, illegally and unconstitutionally. On the basis of the report of a cabinet sub-committee, the government has repeatedly said it would get the power projects from the NHPC.
