Srinagar, June 11: Ahead of Indo-Pak foreign secretary level talks, Government of India Monday announced that it will be exporting 500 MWs electricity to energy-deficient Pakistan.
“Pakistan has asked for power. We are going to supply them 500 MW,” Secretary Water Resource Ministry, Dhruv Vijay Singh said here on the first day of the 2-day hydropower conference being organized by the India-TECH foundation.
“We have the power and they need it. We will sell it to Pakistan at the international rates,” Singh said. Officials said government of India is likely to supply the electricity through Punjab.
The Foreign Secretaries of the two countries would hold talks at New Delhi ahead of the mid-July talks between foreign ministers of the two countries.
Singh however expressed concern that Pakistan was going to drag India to the International Court of Arbitration on each hydropower dam to be built in Jammu and Kashmir citing environmental reasons. Pakistan has already objected to construction of Kishanganga hydropower project in Bandipora district of north Kashmir citing the project was affecting the country’s environment, he said.
“It is not only the Ministry of Environment and Forests which is concerned over environment, Pakistan has raised objections (over the Kishanganga) and asked India to stop its construction,” he said.
The union secretary said Pakistan has got environmental study done from below Kishanganga up to Muzaffarabad in Pakistan administered Kashmir. “They are saying because of this (Kishanganga dam) there is damage to the fish production, musk deer, damage to tourism, sports fishing,” Singh said.
He said these are the grounds on which Pakistan has approached International Court of arbitration to stop Kishanganga construction. “There are many grounds but this is the major ground for which they got an environmental study done by a major international company,” Singh said.
He said Pakistan’s complaint is three-fold. “They say the project is causing environmental damage (on other side) and they say we (PaK) are making Neelum-Jhelum projects and how come we make this project,” Singh said.
But Singh said Government does not think that Kishanganga construction is going to be impeded. “They are going to take us to the Court of Arbitration for every single dam we make. They have raised objections on Nimoo-Bazgoo project in Ladakh. The grounds are different. These are more of political issues,” Singh said.
He said an impression is being created in Pakistan that India was stopping water flow to the Pakistan and it was also responsible for floods in the country. “These are the public perceptions being created in the country,” he said.

ON INDUS WATER TREATY
Singh said J&K view that the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) should be scrapped is being hold by the Punjab government too. “They are also demanding scrapping of the Indus Water Treaty,” Singh said. “In fact it is a view reflected by lot of Indians. Pakistan is saying that no dam can be built in Kashmir which will affect their future,” Singh said.
He said: “We have a treaty where nobody is satisfied. Of course no treaty is best as there are losers and gainers,” Singh said.
He said the Treaty does not restrict hydropower generation in Kashmir on run-of-the-river pattern.
Singh asked state government to have a re-look at the water cess it was imposing on power generating companies including National Hydroelectric Power Corporation for harnessing the hydropower potential in the state. “I think you should have a re-look into it,” he said.

Lastupdate on : Mon, 11 Jun 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 11 Jun 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 12 Jun 2012 00:00:00 IST