India Accelerates Kashmir Hydropower Projects Following Indus Waters Treaty Suspension
India is expediting the completion of several major hydropower projects in Jammu and Kashmir following its suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, a response to the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack. Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to chair a high-level meeting this week with key ministers including Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil, Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, and Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan to discuss acceleration of these projects.
The government plans to fast-track six significant hydropower initiatives in the region: the 1,856 MW Sawalkot Project on the Chenab River, 1,000 MW Pakal Dul, 850 MW Ratle, 800 MW Bursar, 624 MW Kiru, and the 1,320 MW Kirthai-I and II projects. With the treaty suspension, India is no longer required to provide Pakistan with a six-month notice before starting new projects and has ceased data sharing.
Reports indicate India has already begun increasing reservoir capacity at two hydroelectric projects in Kashmir. The completion of these projects could potentially increase Jammu and Kashmir's power generation capacity to 10,000 MW while significantly improving water availability for irrigation and drinking purposes. Pakistan has warned that any attempt to divert water belonging to them would be considered "an act of war" and threatened international legal action over the treaty suspension.
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Hindustan Times
32 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Speedy clearance expected in Sawalkote hydro project
The Union government is looking to give speedy clearance to a ₹22,700-crore hydropower project in Sawalkote on the Chenab so that work can commence by next year and the power ministry is on track to decide which agency should build it, two officials aware of the development said. The Sawalkote project, among four proposed hydroelectric projects in Jammu and Kashmir, has been granted the status of a nationally important project and is expected to generate 1,856 megawatts (MW) of electricity, one of the officials said. The four projects, which together can produce 3,119 MW of electricity, have been hobbled by long administrative delays as well as due to restrictions imposed by the Indus Waters Treaty, which India decided to put on hold a day after the deadly terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22 that claimed 26 lives. Apart from power, the Sawalkote dam, a so-called run-of-the-river project, will also bring irrigation potential to large agricultural tracts, a second official said, adding it will come up in the Ramban, Batote, Mahore and Udhampur forest divisions abutting the Raman, Reasi and Udhampur districts of the Union territory. The detailed project report or DPR for the dam has been prepared by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) Ltd, the country's largest state-backed hydropower firm. The government is examining which agency should be tasked with the project. 'The Jammu and Kashmir government has expressed a desire to be involved in the construction of the project and build it either through one of its own power companies or through a joint venture. A decision will be taken soon,' the first official said. India has quickened processes to start work on proposed infrastructure on the Indus River system as well as speed up work on existing ones after pulling out of the 1960 water-sharing pact amid a freeze in ties following the Pahalgam terror attack. In 2021, the forest department of Jammu and Kashmir had recommended environmental clearance along with 'justifications', which had formally rolled out the process of preliminary work for the Sawalkote project, including recommendation of the catchment area plan. The Centre is likely to give a go-ahead soon for the stage I of the two-phased project after issues of picking the agency and reviewing Jammu and Kashmir's demand for a role through a joint venture are settled. The Union territory is keen on getting on board because the project will then create a revenue source for it, the second official said. 'Now that India has put the Indus treaty in abeyance, the country has no obligations under the treaty and it is free to create infrastructure in the Indus rivers on the Indian side,' said Shashi Shekhar, a former Union water resources secretary. Shekhar, as the top water resources bureaucrat then, had recommended the Centre suspend the treaty in 2016, when terrorists had attacked an Indian army base in Kashmir's Uri, killing 18 soldiers. Prior to keeping the water-sharing pact in abeyance following the Pahalgam terror attack, India had been pressing Pakistan to renegotiate the treaty, citing natural changes in the Indus river basin itself, which had diminished India's share amid a rising population. Under the treaty, the ratio of water shared by Pakistan and India stood at 80:20. India had sought a revision in the terms of the treaty bilaterally. According to the Indian side, Pakistan ignored pleas for bilateral renegotiation, and instead moved the World Bank for appointing a neutral expert to address the issues. India then accepted a neutral expert appointed by the World Bank, which had brokered the six-decade-old treaty by formulating its technical aspects, according to the Indian side. However, Pakistan then moved for international arbitration, a step India considers was a serious escalation by Islamabad, without exhausting all available options, according to Indian officials. Since India's decision to suspend the treaty, Pakistan has written four letters to Indian authorities, offering to discuss specific issues, HT had reported last week. India and Pakistan have fought four wars but the treaty had never been paused before. In letters sent to India, Pakistani authorities are learnt to have said that India didn't have powers to unilaterally suspend the treaty and called for resumption of negotiations. In an international conference on glaciers in Dushanbe on May 30, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had raked up the treaty, accusing India of 'weaponising water'.
Hans India
3 hours ago
- Hans India
Union ministers hail Modi, highlight key achievements
New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday lauded the 11 years of Modi government as a "golden period" in public service while Defence Minister Rajnath Singh asserted that India stands well-equipped and unwavering in its resolve to safeguard its territorial integrity, as Union ministers praised the prime minister's leadership. The Cabinet colleagues of PM Modi and other senior leaders of the ruling NDA listed a number of measures of the government. Lok Janshakti Party leader and Union minister Chirag Paswan said on X that the country has seen a new era of economic rejuvenation, social justice, cultural pride and national security. Senior BJP leader and Union minister Nitin Gadkari said under Modi's "visionary leadership", India has undergone a historic transformation grounded in seva (service), good governance, and inclusive development. "From empowering women, youth, and farmers to modernising infrastructure and healthcare, Bharat's progress has been swift and far-reaching. With global leadership, a self-reliant economy, and a people-first approach, India stands tall on the world stage," he said. The ministers used the hashtag "11 years of seva" in social media posts to mark the 11 years of the Modi-led government in power. Shah said when Modi took over the reins of the country in 2014, there was policy paralysis in the country. He said there were no policies, no leadership, and scams were at their peak in the government, the economy was in shambles and the governance system was directionless. "The historic 11 years of the Modi Government have been a golden period of resolve, endeavour and dedication towards public service," he said. The Defence Minister said the defence sector under the 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' initiative has moved firmly towards self-reliance, and India now stands proudly among the top five economies of the world. India today stands well-equipped, confident, and unwavering in its resolve to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity at all costs, he added. The ministers highlighted the reach and impact of welfare schemes like 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan' for sanitation, 'Ayushman Bharat' for health insurance, and 'Ujjwala Yojana' for cooking gas, besides measures for housing for the poor, cash assistance to farmers and subsidised loan schemes without collateral for entrepreneurs.
NDTV
3 hours ago
- NDTV
Left Parties Write To PM Opposing Anti-Maoist Operation In Chhattisgarh
Kolkata: Five Left parties have written a joint letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, opposing the encounter killings of Maoist leaders in 'Operation Kagar' being carried out in the Chhattisgarh region. In the joint letter, the five Left parties have written to the Prime Minister to put an immediate halt to the "extra-judicial" killings in the region around Chhattisgarh in the name of Operation Kagar. "There are several reports that several senior Maoist leaders are currently in the custody of the security forces. We demand that they should all be produced in court and dealt with as per the rule of law," the letter said. In the letter, the five Left parties have argued that the normal lives of the tribal people in the region have been completely disrupted following the action by the security forces there. "The Adivasi rights enshrined in the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution are being systematically violated and the forest and minerals of Chhattisgarh are being subjected to indiscriminate corporate exploitation with disastrous implications for environmental safety and livelihood of the local people. We urge upon you to stop this militaristic approach that treats the Adivasis with unmitigated hostility," the letter added. In the letter, the Union government has also been accused of not handing over the bodies of those killed in the encounters to their families and thus being denied a dignified farewell. "The Maoists have repeatedly urged the government to consider their appeal for dialogue. Unfortunately, the Union government and the BJP-led Chhattisgarh government have chosen not to pursue a solution through talks. Instead they are following an inhuman policy of killings and annihilation," the letter said. According to the Left parties, the recent statements by the Union Home Minister Amit Shah too made it evident that the Union government was not ready to pursue a solution through talks.
