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| Lafitte report to test Indo-Pak CBM strength | | |
Jammu, February 6
The ongoing confidencebuilding measures between India and Pakistan arelikely to face the litmus test when Delhi andIslamabad make known their reaction to the report of aneutral expert appointed by the World Bank forresolving the dispute over the
Baglihar power projectnext week. The Water Resources Ministry,headed byProf.Saif-ud-Din Soz,and the Pakistan Foreign Officehave constituted separate committees of experts tostudy and examine the impact of the recommendations of Raymond Lafitte,a Swiss engineer who had beenappointed by the World Bank as a neutral expert on the450 MW Baglihar power project, under construction inDoda district. Official sources said today the Lafitte report wasscheduled to be released on February 12.The
WaterResources Ministry is expected to receive the copy ofthe report in the late afternoon of February 12 andthe committee of experts have been asked to makethemselves available for examining the recommendationsthe moment it is received by Delhi. After India and Pakistan were locked in a severecontroversy over the construction of the 450 MW hydelpower project in Doda district, with the latter blamingDelhi for violating the spirit and provisions of theIndus Water Treaty of 1960,a charge vehemently deniedby India, the World Bank appointed Mr Raymond Lafitte,acivil engineer and professor at the Swiss FederalInstitute of Technology, as a neutral expert. Mr Lafitee spent two days on the Baglihar powerproject in May 2005.He was accompanied by two teams ofexperts from Delhi and Islamabad. It may be recalled that the project was conceivedin 1999 and at that time the cost of the project wasestimated to be Rs.3800 corers and commissioned by2005.However,damage caused by floods to the civilworks and prolonged protest lodged by Islamabadagainst the design of the project caused delay in itscompletion. This resulted in the swelling of theproject cost to over Rs.5,000 corers and the KashmirGovernment
announced in the state Assembly recentlythat the project was expected to be commissioned bythe end of the current year. Official sources said that Prof. Soz was keen to seethe project through as early as possible so that theelectricity starved Jammu and Kashmir could get somerelief in the power sector.Prof. Soz is said to havesecured assistance from legal luminaries and otherexperts while pleading
India's case before Mr Lafitte. The sources said that marginal modifications in thedesign of the project have been recommended by MrLafitte which includes bringing down the crust levelby 1.5 metres,raising of parapet wall around crust by1.2 metres and raising of the power intake source bythree metres. According to these sources,India was prepared toaccept minor modifications in the design and give anassurance to Pakistan that the project will not, in anyway, squeeze the flow of water in the Chenab that goesto Pakistan. The Indian side was not prepared to alterdrastically the height of the dam which is over 144metres.Its head race tunnel is two km long and 10metres in diameter. |
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