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| Who plundered J&K's water resources in 2000; asks Mehbooba | | | Early Times Reporter
Kupwara | Apr 22
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti has asked the National Conference (NC) Patron Dr Farooq Abdullah to make clear to the people why he illogically bartered the State's water resources with the Center for a worthless 12 percent royalty in 2000.
Addressing a public meeting at Langate today, the PDP President said the NC leaders must tell the people what forced them to trade the State's water resources in a reckless manner setting a blow to its economy. "After having traded their autonomy resolution for power, the NC leaders, ironically, didn't even spare the State's water resources," she said and added that to the detriment of the State's economic interests, Dr Abdullah, as the Chief Minister, entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the then Union Power Minister P R Kumaramangalam on 20th July 2000 surrendering Jammu & Kashmir's water resources to the Center in lieu of a meager 12 percent electricity as royalty. "And back home when the unfair MoU came under sharp criticism in Jammu & Kashmir, Dr Abdullah is his characteristic style, unabashedly, blamed Delhi for forcing him to sign the MoU," she said.
Mufti said under the disadvantageous MoU, the State's water resources were gifted by the then NC Government to the National Hydroelectric Corporation (NHPC) for generating around 3000 MWs of power, to be used in other states, by exploiting our precious water resources. "And what Jammu & Kashmir was to get in return - a paltry 12 percent electricity as royalty," she said and added that it was the second major blow to the State's resources after the severe curbs having been imposed by the discriminatory Indus Water Treaty (IWT) on harnessing of our water resources.
Censuring NC for the repeated political and economic transgressions committed by it with the State, Mufti said most of the economic problems, including unemployment, confronting Jammu & Kashmir today are because of such anti-State policies of NC leadership.
"It is shocking to hear the latest from Dr Abdullah that PDP's demand for opening of cross-LoC roads for free movement of people and goods and using both the Indian and Pakistani currency in whole of Jammu & Kashmir, are pro-Pakistan and antinational demands," Mufti said and added that the dichotomy is that in Kashmir, the NC leaders are trying to position themselves as the strong proponents of the resolution process. "Instead of still looking towards Delhi for power, through politics of cheap appeasement, the NC leaders must realize that the dynamics of Kashmir politics have undergone a sea-change and the real power flows from the people and not from anywhere else," she said.
PDP leaders Mohammad Sultan Panditpuri, Advocate Abdul Haq Khan and Mohammad Shafi Dar also addressed the meeting. |
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