Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 14: BJP spokesperson, Arun Gupta has welcomed the Central and State Governments, for having worked out the modalities for harnessing 531 Million Cubic Meters (MCM) of Ujh waters. This will lead to a stoppage of the precious waters of this river flowing into Pakistan territories.
Besides, producing electricity, the Rs 5,850 crore Ujh multipurpose Project will change the face of the Kandi areas of Kathua and parts of Samba district. The income of the farmers will rise sharply as the yield from their land holdings will show a marked improvement, he said.
Gupta said this will happen now because these fields will get water for irrigation and not remain dependent on vagaries of weather. It is rather unfortunate that former CM, Mehbooba Mufti is trying to mislead people as if it were violative of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), he said.
She should have welcomed this stoppage of water running into Pakistan and being utilized for the betterment of the local farmers of the Jammu region. Besides, benefits for our farmers, these waters will also irrigate fields in Punjab, Haryana, he pointed out.
The waters being given to other states will be in addition to over and above the total quantity that can be used in Jammu and Kashmir, he said. These waters were flowing into Pakistan as virtual bonus shares as the country is not entitled to get them under the IWT, he added.
It is odd that she has expressed worries about the harnessing of the water even as Pakistan has remained silent since it knows the correct legal position. It would have been better had she spoken to some experts before articulating her misconceived notions, Gupta said.
This attempt to mislead is absolutely mischievous and condemnable as India has full legal rights on these waters. She spoke off tangent regarding the Ujh waters and it leads us to a question regarding her intentions, he said.
That she harbours antipathy for the Jammu region is clear from her misleading statement, Gupta said. Mehbooba is pursuing a very partisan and parochial politics when she opposes gains that will accrue to the poor farmers of Kathua and elsewhere, he added.
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