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| Balihar commissioning: There are many a slip… | | Flood damages raise the costs by 300 cr | |
Jammu, May 10
There are still a many pitfalls ahead for the upcoming Baglihar Project that have diminished the chances of the commissioning of its 450 MW first phase on the targeted time of December this year – The major cause for the delay are slow execution and rise in the costs by Rs 300 crore owing to flood damages.
All this came to fore during the inspection of the on going works on the 450 MW first phase by two member Central Water Commission team led by secretary Union Ministry of water Resources secretary Union Ministry of water Resources Ms Gori Chaterjee.
During its visit, the team went round all sections of the project including Dam site, Tunnels and Power house.
Sources informed that the purpose of the visit by the central team was to inspect the status of work on ground and assess whether the first phase could be commissioned by the dead line conveyed by the state government.
It was reliably learnt that the central team was told by the Power Development Corporation that the executing agency has failed to maintain the pace of completing 75,000 cubic meter concrete work per month.
The state PDC authorities told the visiting team that presently the executing agency is able to complete only 55,000 C/m concrete work which is about twenty five percent short of the targeted work to be completed in one month.
Rising of the project cost by 300 crore in the backdrop of damages caused due to flood during last September was referred as another major reason for a possible delay in the commissioning of the first phase.
The Rs 5,000 crore project, designed to generate 900 MW electricity in two phases is the first mega project taken up under state sector. Taken in hand way back in 1997, the project witnessed frequent delays, first on account of the financial closure and than due to the objections raised by Pakistan who termed its constructions as violation of Indus water treaty.
However, the controversy kicked off by Pakistan was settled after the Swiss arbitrator, Raymond Lafitte appointed by World Bank cleared the project on February last recommending reduction of the Dam by one and a half meter.
The electricity-deficit Jammu and Kashmir is greatly banking on the commissioning 450-MW first phase to improve the power scenario in the state. However, in view of the present phase of work and increase in cost, it seems that the state has to wait for yet another year to avail the relief from the project.
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