Years of protests, disputes haunt J&K's Ratle power project

The 850 MW Ratle hydropower project, located in Drabshalla village of Kishtwar, has been a focal point of controversy since its inception in 2013. The project, which is being developed by Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Limited (MIEL), has faced persistent disputes, including protests by retrenched workers.

Harpal Singh, Chief Operating Officer of MIEL and the project’s in-charge, recently accused local BJP MLA Shagun Parihar of pressuring the company to hire more local workers. Singh clarified that, despite this pressure, the company had already employed a significant number of labourers from the district. The company also warned workers that any form of strike could lead to the suspension of construction work for an indefinite period.

The controversy deepened when MIEL retrenched nearly 200 workers from the project, leading to protests. Some local political leaders have supported the workers, alleging a nexus where locals were replaced by workers from other regions. Sanjay Parihar, a former sarpanch from the area, claimed that family members of surrendered terrorists had been hired for the project. He accused Harpal Singh of making false statements about local BJP leaders and alleged that personnel from Kashmir, including the Human Resources in-charge, were brought in to the project site.

The project has faced multiple challenges since work began in 2013. Initially, the company M/s GVK Developmental Projects Private Limited, which was responsible for the project at that time, reported political pressure to hire local workers. Frequent protests led to the suspension of work in 2014, and the government eventually terminated the contract in 2017, inviting new tenders.

In October 2022, a tragic landslide at the Ratle project site claimed the lives of four people, including a policeman, and injured six others. A large-scale rescue operation was carried out to save survivors.

The project faced further setbacks in November 2023, with work being temporarily halted due to strikes and protests, although construction was resumed shortly thereafter. Notably, while the foundation stone for the project was laid by then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in June 2013, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has twice laid the foundation stone of the project, first on February 3, 2019, and again on April 24, 2022.

Kishtwar Deputy Commissioner Pankaj Sharma confirmed that the administration is closely monitoring the situation. “There are labour issues, and the administration is working to resolve them,” he said. Insiders revealed that senior officials have discussed the matter with Harpal Singh and urged him to find a quick resolution.

In response to the allegations, Harpal Singh stated that the retrenchment of workers followed due process and had been approved by the Labour Commissioner of Jammu. “No surrendered terrorists or their family members have been hired by us as proper police verification takes place before we hire anyone,” said Harpal.

Meanwhile, terming the controversy surrounding the Ratle power project as serious, J&K Congress has demanded a high-level independent probe into it. The party also sought answers from the BJP over the serious allegations levelled against its leaders by the project management. Party spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said a thorough independent probe is required into the matter to bring the entire truth before the public.

“The prestigious power project was sanctioned by the UPA government headed by Dr Manmohan Singh, the then Prime Minister, for the larger benefit of people of the Chenab region and entire J&K but the recent allegations in the execution of this significant project is a matter of serious concern, as it has potential of stalling the execution of the project in time,” Sharma said.