J&K, Punjab rekindle Shahpur Kandi project
J&K, Punjab rekindle Shahpur Kandi project Punjab and Jammu Kashmir signed their third agreement to complete the Shahpur Kandi dam project. It’s been four years, since the project has been stalled. According to the third agreement, these two states have agreed to complete the project in three years at an estimated cost of Rs. 2,793 crore. It came after the talks were held Punjab led by Minister for Water Resources Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria in Jammu and Kashmir. The Punjab Chief Minister, Capt. Amarinder Singh had been pursuing the matter aggressively with the central government over the past several months, even mentioning it at a recent meeting with Union Water Resources Minister Nitin Gadkari. The construction of Shahpur Kandi project, located in Punjab’s Gurdaspur, was taken up in May 1999. It, however, was discontinued in 2014 following dispute between the two states. The project, tagged as a “national project” by the Centre, is being built with an estimated cost of Rs 2,285.81 crore (as per April, 2008 price level). It is expected to generate 206 mega watt electricity, the statement said. The project will continue to be implemented by Punjab and its design shall be as agreed by both the states recently. “…model studies will be carried out concurrently to ensure Jammu and Kashmir gets its mandated share of 1,150 cusecs of water,” it said. It has also been decided to form a team comprising Central Water Commission member and chief engineers of the two states to check whether the construction is in line with the agreement. Among other decisions, it was decided that Punjab will bear the balance costs on account of compensation for land acquisition in respect of Thein dam, located nearly 10 km upstream of the Shahpur Kandi dam. “Punjab would also share with Jammu and Kashmir 20 per cent of the total power generated at Thein dam at the mutually agreed rate of Rs 3.50 per unit immediately. This is subject to confirmation of the rates by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (though),” it said. Both the states also agreed that other issues will be referred to arbitration mechanism provided in the agreement signed between the states in 1979, without affecting the progress of work. Also Read: Satya Pal Malik sworn in as Jammu and Kashmir governor -PTC NEWS
