A prestigious project with great promises, a run of river 850 MW Ratle Hydroelectric power scheme which had to face several hiccups including stopping of the work on it for more than six years, is finally on the anvil of being revived. The project is having the distinction of being first of its kind in India which was awarded through tariff based bidding. Its revival plan has already been made by the Union Ministry of Power and the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) too has been signed between National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) and the Government of Jammu and Kashmir. The project, therefore, is now slated to be developed through a Joint Venture Company following an important and timely decision taken by the Public Investment Board (PIB) in the Ministry of Finance, Government of India. The joint venture will be between the Jammu and Kashmir Power Development Corporation (JKPDC) and the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC). The work like construction of access roads and diversion tunnels was started in early 2013 but the work was stopped as various issues cropped up between the then State Government and the Company which had bagged the contract of the project. The recommendations of the PIB will clear the decks for final approval of the project as also an early start of the work on it. It is a matter of great satisfaction that such a flagship project is going to be revived, the paper works and the clearance in respect of which are already in place which generate high hopes of it getting completed within 36 months.
It may be noted that yardsticks of measuring a region, a district or even a UT or a state as economically backward could in many cases be conditional or on conservative basis as general and common parameters could not be applied uniformly. In other words, district Kishtwar hitherto considered as economically backward region, is on the premise of ignoring its vast hydro power potential. The work on two power projects namely Pakkaldul and Kiru in Kishtwar already in progress despite constraints of COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown etc and now revival of Ratle project was going to bestow upon Kishtwar, the distinction of being the nerve centre of power generation in Jammu and Kashmir. Needless to add, again, we often come out with the only and worn out solution of industrialisation in the environmental sensitive place like Jammu and Kashmir as being key to rapid economic development and generating of employment but forget to mention about not identifying and commercially exploiting huge hydro power potential gifted by nature to Jammu and Kashmir. So far the surveys made in this connection have put it at just over 20,000 MWs while only less than 16000 MW has been identified. We are sure that by taking concerted efforts in respect of making intense surveys regarding identifying points of concentrated power potential, harnessing and exploiting the same in gradual and planned manner under Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode, joint ventures etc, Jammu and Kashmir would see a turnaround in its economy, generation of employment and other commercial activities because of not only attaining self sufficiency in power generation for its ever growing demand for power but exporting it to other states.
Funds, though one of the problems, could be easily arranged by public and private investments. In the instant case, Public Investment Board has recommended an investment approval of Rs. 5282 crore for it including an infusion of equity of Rs. 808 crore by NHPC in the Joint Venture Company. Another contribution of equity funds would be as grants from the Government of India pegged at Rs. 776.44 crore. However, the consistent stand of the Government of Jammu and Kashmir for execution of the work on the Ratle project in the Joint Venture mode has finally been agreed upon and now, we all are looking forward in seeing resumption of work on it at the earliest.
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