*CEA appraisal still awaited for Sawalakote HEP
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, June 25: In a major set-back to the plan of making Jammu and Kashmir self-reliant in the power sector, the Government is groping in dark about resumption of work on 850 Mega Watt Ratle Hydroelectric Project on river Chenab in Kishtwar district during the past two years as a committee headed by Financial Commissioner Planning Development and Monitoring Department has failed to suggest future course of action.
The Ratle Hydro Electric was planned to be developed as a run-of-the river scheme and this was the first Hydro Power Project in the country, which was awarded on tariff based International Competitive Bidding process for development on Built-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) basis for a period of 35 years.
The foundation stone of the project was laid by the then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on June 25, 2013 for completion by February 2018. It was stated at that time that this project will lead Jammu and Kashmir towards self reliant stage from power starved condition. In order to meet the deadline, Hyderabad-based M/s GVK Company immediately moved men and machinery and even started work on the project.
However, no serious effort was made by the State Government to ensure smooth execution of the project. Rather one after another hurdle was created by the vested interests. Politicians of Kishtwar started considering the project as their personal property and making recommendations for adjustment of their workers in the project.
Even contractors and trade unionists left no stone unturned to derive undue benefit from the project by putting pressure on the management of main contractor GVK Power and sub-contractor Larsen and Toubro to adjust their favorite people without looking into the aspect that only highly skilled engineers are required for execution of project.
Due to repeated interference from political and other quarters, which even led to law and order problems, the GVK and L&T on July 11, 2014 abruptly stopped the work on the project for want of smooth atmosphere and conveyed their decision to Kishtwar district administration as well as State Government. Thereafter, some more issues cropped up with company asking Government to give some sort of concessions in order to compensate the losses suffered by it owing to stoppage of work on the project.
“Though both the sides—State Government and M/s GVK made some efforts to resolve the deadlock, consensus could not be reached”, official sources said, adding “during the past nearly two years the work on the project could not be restarted as even after clear refusal by the Hyderabad-based company the Government has failed to come up with the alternative”.
Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Nirmal Singh, who is also Minister Incharge Power, has also admitted on the floor of the Assembly that work on the project has not been resumed till date. Replying to the question of MLA from Doda, Shakti Parihar, the Deputy Chief Minister said, “efforts to get the work resumed have been going on for more than one year”. But, he failed to elaborate as to what results such efforts have yielded and why the work could not be restarted during the past two years.
Though a committee headed by Financial Commissioner, Planning Development and Monitoring Department, B B Vyas was constituted to examine the issue, the panel has failed to suggest further course of action till date. “In this way, the Government is still groping in dark about resumption of work on the project, which otherwise would help the State in tiding over power crisis”, sources said.
Meanwhile, notwithstanding tall claims by the Government, the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of Sawalakote Hydroelectric Project has yet not received clearance of the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), which otherwise is the most important exercise without which nothing can move on the ground.
“The DPR of Sawalakote HEP is presently under the appraisal of Central Electricity Authority”, said Dr Nirmal Singh in response to another question of BJP MLA from Doda. However, the Minister evaded reply to the query regarding cost escalation in the project.
It is pertinent to mention here that Sawalakote HEP is proposed to be constructed on River Chenab in Udhampur and Ramban districts with aggregate capacity of 1856 Mega Watts.
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