Asif Iqbal Naik
JAMMU, May 23 : The Indus Water Treaty based on water sharing agreement between the India and Pakistan signed in Karachi on September 19, 1960 by then Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and then President of Pakistan Ayoob Khan is continuously hunting the power generation of Jammu and Kashmir as Pakistan continuously raised the objections on construction of power project on river Chenab.
The fresh tangle on part of the Pakistani government came to fore today when a three member Pakistani delegation led by Mirza Asif Beigh Pakistan Water Commissioner with advisor Sheraz Jameel Mehmood and Advisor Amran Ahmed as its members while Indian delegation was led by A Vohra Indian Water Commissioner, P K Saxena Senior Joint Commissioner and Rajveer Singh Deputy Indian Water Commissioner are the other two members of the delegation arrived Kishtwar today under tight security cover.
Both Indian and Pakistani delegations who arrived today evening at Kishtwar will conduct joint survey of 850 MW Rattle Power Project under construction on River Chenab at Drabshala village of Kishtwar District and 48 MW Lower Kalni project under construction on Kalni Nallah also in Kishtwar District. On May 25 both delegation will visit the proposed construction site of 1000 MW Pakal-Dool Power Project to be constructed on River Marru Suddar of village Marwah.
Though 850 MW Rattle Power Project comes under the ambit of Indus Water Treaty, but neither Pakal-Dool nor Lower Kalni falls under Indus Water Treaty and granting permission to visiting Pakistani delegation to inspect these two power projects is beyond the imagination of common people.
As per the treaty, the Indus System of Rivers comprises three western rivers the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab and three eastern rivers-Sutlej, Beas and Ravi. The treaty, under Article 5.1, envisages the sharing of waters of the rivers Ravi, Beas, Sutlej, Jhelum and Chenab which join the Indus River on its left bank (eastern side) in Pakistan while Ravi, Beas and Sutlej, which constitute the eastern rivers, are allocated for exclusive use by India before they enter Pakistan. Similarly, Pakistan has exclusive use of the western rivers Jhelum, Chenab and Indus but with some stipulations for development of projects on these rivers in India. As per the Peoples Democratic Party, due to Indus Water Treaty, state of Jammu and Kashmir suffered losses to the tune of over Rs. 50000 Cr annually and demanded that Government of India should compensate the losses to the state in like of the treaty and added that in case of denial of compensation, the treaty required to be revisited. Similarly State also suffered massive losses to the tune of over Rs 11,239 crore as the Punjab has denied State's share of electricity and water from the Ranjit Sagar dam constructed on river Ravi in Basohli area district Kathua. |
