Jammu, Oct 25:   The state government has hired services of Water and Power Consultancy Services (WAPCOS), consultancy arm of Central Water Commission to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) to construct a canal to divert its share of the water from the Ranjit Sagar dam to irrigate thousands of kanal of land back in the state by constructing a multipurpose project down the stream.
 “The company will submit DPR in December and work on the project will start next year. It is going to be a dream Hydro Power and Irrigation project near village Satwain in district Kathua involving a cost of Rs 597.65 crore”, sources said. 
 They said that the government has also taken up the issue with the Punjab government at highest level so that Jammu and Kashmir is able to get its 20 per cent share of power being denied to it since 2001 from the existing power project being operated by the Punjab government. Under the agreement, Punjab was to share 1100 cusecs of water with the state and supply 20 per cent of the electricity generated at the dam to Jammu and Kashmir.
 Sources said that in the backdrop of denial of 20 per cent share of power and irrigation water to the J&K farmers, the state has suffered a loss of nearly Rs 8000 crores, thus greatly affecting the farming sector in the southern districts of the state.
 “Punjab Government owes us Rs 2200 crore on account of land compensation, and we have taken up the issue with them. At the moment our focus is to start work on the proposed canal and hydro-electric project”, said minister for irrigation, Taj-Mohi-Ud-Din. “We hardly get 200 cusec of water at the moment because of which Kathua and Samba districts farmers are facing lot of problems,” Taj said.
 Notably, Punjab has cancelled all the bilateral agreements on sharing of water and electricity with Jammu and Kashmir through a legislation passed at its assembly in 2004. The Thien dam started generating electricity in 2001.
 About 22 villages of this side have been submerged in Ranjit Sagar dam and 60 percent of the area of J&K came under the reservoir against which Punjab Government still owes Rs 67.51 crore as land compensation to the JK farmers. “They have also failed to provide jobs to 204 people from J&K at the dam, which is another violation of the agreement”, said an official.
 Sources said that owing to the past experience, the State may also decided not to take part in the Shahpur Kandi barrage project, as there are fears that the Punjab could again get the control of the water resources.
 “We have decided to take water from Satwain side of the reservoir and through a six km tunnel it will be brought at Basantpur Lift station through Sukhal nallah, without any help from Punjab”, the official said.
 If the project is implemented, over 1.33 thousand acres of JK land will be irrigated and 25 MW of power will also be generated.
 According to the officials, with Punjab Government’s continuous denial of power and water share to the state, the Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to take ‘Legal action’ to recover its share as agreed upon in 1978 agreement signed with it. 

Lastupdate on : Mon, 25 Oct 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 25 Oct 2010 18:30:00 GMT
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