Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, May 8: An India and Pakistani joint team of Arbitration experts today visited the dam site of the 330-MW Kishanganga hydro-power project in Gurez near the Line of Control (LoC) in the frontier district of Bandipora.
An 8 member joint team of the two countries, mostly hydraulic experts, arrived in Gurez this morning in Air Force helicopters and visited the dam site, the construction for which is yet to start.
The team was in Gurez for about an hour during which they inspected the site to monitor the implementation of the order of the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague on the construction of the power house.
The team comprised 3 Pakistani and 5 Indian officials. They included Aisf Beg, technical expert Government of Pakistan, Shamilla Mehmood, Legal Counsel Government of Pakistan, Dr Mooris of United States, Technical Expert of Government of Pakistan, G Aranganathan, Commissioner Indus, Ministry of Water Resources Government of India, P Davinder Rao, Deputy commissioner Indus, Ministry of Water Resources Government of India, Professor Ranga Raju, Technical Expert Government of India, Rajive Baboota, Chief Engineer NHPC and Vishal Siani, Chief Engineer NHPC.
The team is scheduled to visit the dam site in October this year again as part of the court order.
Pakistan claims that the project violates Indus Water Treaty between the two countries. The hydropower project is being built on Kishanganga river, which flows into Pakistan. It is likely to be completed in February, 2014.
Pakistan claims that with the construction of the 330-MW Kishanganga hydropower project, around 100 kilometers of river Neelam will dry up as water will be diverted to river Jhelum through Wullar Lake near Bandipur town.
Pakistan argues that such a diversion contravenes the Indus Water Treaty of 1960, which would compromise Pakistan’s rights over the river and reduce the flow of water into Pakistan significantly.
It may be mentioned here that Pakistan had approached Court of Arbitration in Hague to stop India from constructing any permanent works on or above the Kishanganga/Neelum River bed at the Gurez site that may inhibit the restoration of the flow of the river to its natural channel.
The court had ordered that Pakistan and India arrange for periodic joint inspections of the dam site at Gurez in order to monitor the implementation of the Court’s Order. Today’s visit was part of the visit under court order to monitor its implementation.
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