Decades of political uncertainty is perhaps the prime reason for the state remaining poor and increasingly dependent on external sources for financial support to run its different developmental programmes. It is this uncertainty that has brought to fore selfish politicians who exploit the situation to their own exclusive advantage. While the poor continue to suffer from depravity most of the actors in state polity and bureaucracy have not only grown fat with wealth but have also become thick skinned. It is their insensitivity
and lack of commitment to the society that has been responsible for the state’s precious resources getting mortgaged to outsiders while we continue to roam about with a begging bowl. The state of affairs is such that there is no transparency in the deals made with agencies that have been brought in to the state ostensibly with the objective of helping the state to exploit its hydropower resources. But times have proved that there have been either behind the scene deals to the disadvantage of the state or there has been wilful negligence on the part of all the concerned technocrats, bureaucrats and politicians for petty considerations. The recent revelation by the state’s water resources minister Taj Mohi- ud-din regarding the various power projects run by the National Hydro Power Corporation are startling in that the corporation has taken up the same without entering into any MoU and without following the rules and set procedures. “There is no cabinet order, lease deed, or agreement to substantiate that any procedure was adopted for the allotment of these projects. There is no mention about who identified the site for the projects, how it was identified and who transferred the land to NHPC and on what terms and conditions the land was given to the Corporation,”the minister is reported to have said. Obviously the corporation cannot do so without the deliberate, or otherwise, connivance of local technocrats, bureaucrats and politicians. This is nothing but betrayal and treachery.It is the vested interest that has made the NHPC to pursue and concentrate its exploitative policies more in J&K than any other state as is evident from the fact that out of the 5295 MWs of its existing generation capacity of its plants, NHPC is drawing the highest ‘booty’ of 1680 MWs of energy from Jammu and Kashmir, while rest of the country is contributing just 3615 MWs to its power kitty. As per the report with the commissioning of its four proposed power plants in J&K, NHPC's generation capacity would jump to an enviable 2379 MWs from eight hydro projects in the power- starved State. It is strange that while in the states like Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and North East, most of the NHPC power projects are in joint venture with the respective state governments, sharing energy on 50:50 basis, J&K is the only exception where the Corporation offers peanuts to the state in the shape of just 12% of electricity as royalty for the state.
The states like Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and North Eastern region have almost become power surplus; it is J&K which is still struggling with power crisis. Under Indus Water Treaty or IWT the state is already in a disadvantageous position vis-à-vis states like Himachal, Punjab & Haryana as the Government of India has secured the exclusive rights over the use of the waters from the three eastern rivers - Sutlej, Beas and Ravi and has bequeathed such rights over the waters of rivers Indus, Jhelum and Chenab (flowing through J&K) to Pakistan. And whatever is left for Jammu & Kashmir in the shape of limited rights of usage of the waters which too is exploited by NHPC. The startling revelation recently created uproar in the House with the representatives of all the political parties demanding that the agreements with NHPC should be reviewed to compensate the state and a probe should be ordered to “fix the responsibility” for the plunder of state’s water resources- a welcome resolve-needs to be respected whatever the costs.

Lastupdate on : Sun, 20 Mar 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 20 Mar 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 21 Mar 2011 00:00:00 IST