Srinagar, Apr 2 (NVI): PDP leader and MLA Pulwama Waheed Ur Rehman Para on Thursday said that the Jammu and Kashmir government has handed over two new hydropower projects to NHPC amid the ongoing Assembly session, raising concerns over the UT’s control over its energy resources.
The Para said that an agreement has been signed between NHPC Ltd and JKSPDCL for the development of the 240 MW Uri-I Stage-II and 260 MW Dulhasti Stage-II projects, with a combined capacity of 500 MW.
He said the projects will be executed under the BOOT model for a period of 40 years, after which they will be transferred back to the Union Territory. The agreement, he added, was signed on March 27, 2026, in Jammu.
Para further stated that under the terms of the MoU, Jammu and Kashmir is entitled to over 12 percent of the electricity generated from NHPC-operated projects, while the remaining power is fed into the grid, forcing the UT to purchase electricity at market rates to meet its deficit.
Referring to past developments, Para said that in 2006, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had constituted working groups on Jammu and Kashmir’s economic development under former RBI Governor C. Rangarajan, which had recommended the transfer of Dulhasti and Bursar projects to the erstwhile state, but the proposal was not implemented.
He added that a cabinet sub-committee set up by the National Conference-led government in 2011 had also examined the issue and recommended that the Uri-II project be developed by the state after transfer of ownership, while setting a condition for Dulhasti-II to be taken up only after ownership of the existing Dulhasti project was handed over to the state. (NVI)
