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| J-K initiates steps to quantify losses due to Indus treaty | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Apr 1 : The Jammu and Kashmir government has initiated steps to assess and quantify the losses to the state on account of the Indus Water Treaty. "Request for Qualification (RfQ) for engaging consultants and consulting firms have been invited for deciding and quantifying the loss on account of IWT in J-K," officials of the State Power Ministry said here. A single bid from Halcrow Consulting India was received in the bidding process which was opened last year, they said, adding, the bid is being evaluated. A state government-appointed Commission has recommended that Jammu and Kashmir should seek compensation for the losses incurred by it on account of Indus Water Treaty from not only India but Pakistan as well. It is for the first time that a recommendation for seeking compensation from Pakistan is being made by any quasi-official panel. The State Finance Commission, which was constituted by the state government through a legislative Act, has, in its report submitted to the government last year, pointed out that the opportunity cost of economic growth and development forgone as a result of IWT bottlenecks, needs to be assessed from September 1960 to August 2010. The three-member panel's report goes on to recommend that J&K can claim compensation for IWT losses from Pakistan through the government of India. IWT, an international agreement brokered between India and Pakistan by the World Bank in sixties, puts rider on how the two countries use and share the water resources in the region.
Out of the six rivers in what is called the Indus basin, India has exclusive rights over the waters of the three major Eastern rivers -- Ravi, Beas and Sutlej before they enter Pakistan, whereas Pakistan has rights to three large Western rivers that first flow through J&K -- Indus, Jhelum and Chenab. The water-sharing agreement however, restricts J&K from fully exploiting its hydro-resources for irrigation and power generation. The treaty is seen as a bottleneck for which J&K state has forgone its development of industry, power, and agriculture for the last 60 years. "There are varying figures about the loss to the state due to the IWT. One such figure puts it at around Rs 20,000 crore," official said. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the state will seek compensation for the losses suffered by the state due to the IWT. "The state has suffered major losses due to IWT. Everybody was talking about losses due to IWT, but nobody was in a position to say how much loss we have suffered", Abdullah had said earlier. |
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