1979 Ranjit Sagar Dam Agreement: Punjab govt can't backtrack on commitment, says J&K CM Omar Abdullah
1979 Ranjit Sagar Dam Agreement: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said that he will raise the Ranjit Sagar Dam project issue with the Punjab government and his counterpart.
Omar Abdullah said that the Punjab government could not backtrack from its commitment made in an agreement signed with the J&K government in 1979 vis-à-vis compensation, employment for locals, and UT’s 20 percent share of electricity from the Ranjit Sagar dam project as it was a sovereign commitment.
The Chief Minister assured the house that he would take up the matter with the Punjab government and remind it of its committment.
“I will take up the matter with the Government of Punjab and with my counterpart there. We will strive to ensure that the agreement signed in 1979 is implemented in letter and spirit,” the Chief Minister said during the Question Hour of the ongoing Budget Session of the Legislative Assembly.
He said according to 1979 agreement, J&K is entitled to 20 percent of the total power generated at Thein Dam and Shahpur Kandi Barrage at bus bar cost. Adding further he said that a power sale agreement between PSPCL and JKPCL was signed on October 11, 2019, for the sale and purchase of power from the Ranjit Sagar Dam project.
“However, no power is currently being injected into J&K’s system due to lack of transmission infrastructure. The provisional tariff payable to PSPCL stands at Rs 3.5 per kWh,” he said.
- PTC NEWS
