Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Oct 10: The Government today described attack on Wullar project by Pakistan as a challenge for it and said that work on the project has been resumed after security was provided to the workers of the project.
Public Health Engineering (PHE) and Irrigation Minister Taj Mohi-ud-Din informed the Assembly here today: “We are not weak to succumb to any pressure. The work has been resumed after security was provided to the workers.”
The Minister said the attack was taken as a challenge by the Government, Army, CRPF and other security agencies, who are defending those working on the project.
He admitted that the work on Wullar project was stopped after militant attack but has been resumed now. “Our country is strong enough to take any challenge from any quarter which wanted us to stop the work on the barrage,” he said.
The Minister said that the attackers were militants. He informed the house that the barrage was being constructed under provisions of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) which says that India can store water in lakes and other water bodies. “There is absolutely no violation of the IWT”, he told the house.
Taj said contractors and workers, who were scared, were now slowly coming to work. The Minister said one CRPF company has been deployed there to instill confidence among the workers and contractors.
The issue of the Wullar barrage was raised in the house by the expelled BJP MLA, Professor Chaman Lal Gupta during Zero Hour. He wanted to know if work on the barrage has been resumed after it was stopped when militants threatened contractors and workers last month.
He said some people who had been sent by Pakistan raised pro-Pak slogans, damaged machinery and threatened workers and contractors following which the work on the barrage was stopped.
It may be mentioned here that heavily armed militants targeted the “Flood Protection Works and Conservation of Wullar lake” project in August this year in North Kashmir Sopore area. The project was aimed at increasing the water level of the Wullar lake to increase the discharge for the power projects like Uri Civil and Lower Jehleum during the winter months when the receding water level affects their generation.
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