Work on at Indus hydel projects, LS told

New Delhi, March 29

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Five Indian hydropower projects being built on tributaries of the Indus, over which Pakistan has raised objections, are at various stages of implementation in the Indus river basin, the Lok Sabha was informed today.

Minister of State for External Affairs Singh VK Singh made a statement in this connection, days after media in Pakistan claimed that India had agreed to halt work on Miyar Nallah during the Permanent Indus Commission’s meeting held in Lahore earlier this month.

“Projects such as Miyar Nallah, Lower Kalnai, Pakal Dul, Kishenganga and Ratle are at different stages of implementation,” Singh told the Lower House. The work on two other hydroelectricity projects — Bhakra Nangal (on the Sutlej river) and Pong Dam (on the Beas) — has been successfully executed, he added. The minister reiterated the Centre’s position that it remained committed to fully utilising water of rivers in the basin, both eastern (Beas, Ravi and Sutlej) and western (Indus, Jhelum and Chenab), in accordance with the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) of 1960.

Pakistan has been flagging concerns over the designs of Pakal Dul (1,000 MW), Ratle (850 MW), Kishenganga (330 MW), Miyar (120 MW) and Lower Kalnai (48 MW), contending that these violate the treaty. India though has maintained that the designs of the projects do not violate the water distribution pact.

Pakal Dul, Ratle, Kishenganga and Lower Kalnai are being built in Jammu and Kashmir while Miyar Nallah is being constructed on a tributary of the Chenab in HP’s Lahaul-Spiti district. — PTI