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| NHPC, JK Govt deadlock worries GoI | | Taj, Srivastava summoned to Delhi again | |
Bashir Assad
Srinagar, June 17; In its effort to break the deadlock between the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) and Jammu and Kashmir government, Union Power Ministry has once again summoned senior congress leader and Minister for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control Taj Mohiuddin to New Delhi for a meeting which is likely to be attended by chairman NHPC ABL Srivastava as well.
Sources told Early Times that the additional secretary in Union Power Ministry Ashoke Lavasa has fixed a meeting for June 19 at Shri Shram Shakti Bhavan New Delhi and the dates for the same have been communicated to Taj Mohiuddin and Srivastava. Sources said that agenda of the meeting has been restricted to the demand of the state government for creating employment opportunities in power projects run by NHPC in Jammu and Kashmir.
Disturbed by suspension of construction work on Uri-II Hydroelectric Power Project in Kashmir due to prolonged agitation by the locals over the issue of providing employment to the locals in accordance to the cabinet decision No. 158 of 2000, Union Power Ministry has been trying to settle the issue between warring state government and NHPC, sources said. However, the core issue of return of three power projects to the state is unlikely to figure in the discussion as NHPC chairman ABL Srivastava has already sought an appointment with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and the same has been slated for June 30 and if sources are to be believed the issue of return of power projects will figure prominently during the meeting and Taj will be given the mandate to put government's view point in the meeting.
The meeting slated for June19 will discuss the modus operandi for creating employment opportunities for the locals in power projects being executed by NHPC. Although Taj had more than once made it abundantly clear that his government stands by the cabinet decision of 2000, however, union power ministry is desperate in breaking the deadlock through negotiations.
Sources said that Taj will put a proposal before the union power ministry seeking share in employment in accordance to the total revenue-NHPC is earning annually from the resources of Jammu and Kashmir. " NHPC earns 52% of its total revenue from Jammu and Kashmir as such share in employment shall be decided accordingly" sources quoted Taj as having said.
Sources said that Taj will also propose that out of 5 directors, at least two shall be from Jammu and Kashmir and the regional organization shall be exclusively comprising on locals both technocrats and semi-skilled and unskilled manpower. All projects heads in the state shall be locals and all class III and IV employees in the projects shall be from Jammu and Kashmir.
Taj has launched a campaign for taking back three hydro electric projects, namely Salal, Uri and Dul Hasti, from the NHPC. It was all due to the efforts of the Congress minister that the State government has collected Rs 639 crore from the NHPC for exploiting water resources in the state.
The estimated hydel potential in the state is about 20,000 MW, while the present generation capacity of all power projects stands at 759 MW.
The NHPC-owned power projects include Salal (I&II) with 690 MW generation capacity, 480- MW Uri-I, 390-MW Dulhasti and 120-MW Sewa-II project.
The state is getting 12 per cent (210 MW) energy as royalty (free power) from the NHPC for the exploitation of its water resources. The NHPC provides 12 per cent free power as a contribution under corporate social responsibility to the state.
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