Srinagar: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said discussions are being held with the Centre on the resumption of development projects in the Union territory that were halted due to the Indus Waters Treaty.
With the treaty in abeyance in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, Abdullah said there are two projects — one in Kashmir and the other in Jammu — on which work can begin soon.
“After the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, we have two projects on which work can start soon, one is in Kashmir and the other is in Jammu. Now, talks are going on with the central government regarding both the projects,” Abdullah said here when asked whether the government will take advantage of the IWT being in abeyance.
The chief minister was talking to reporters after a meeting with Union Power, Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal Khattar at the SKICC here.
Last month, Abdullah batted for the revival of the Tulbul navigation project on Wular Lake in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district.
Taking to X, the chief minister wondered if work would be resumed now that India has put the IWT in abeyance.
Abdullah’s post, however, got mired in a controversy after his rival and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti accused him of making “irresponsible” and “dangerously provocative” statements.
The work on the Tulbul Navigation Barrage was started in the early 1980s, but had to be abandoned under pressure from Pakistan, citing the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).
At the review meeting, Abdullah said it was related to centrally sponsored projects and schemes under the Ministry of Power and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs — both departments that he handles.
“Overall, progress in both areas has been fairly satisfactory. We also discussed areas where we have expectations from the Centre. In some places, there were minor shortcomings, and we have received suggestions on how to correct them. We will implement those,” he said.
To a question on the Power Department facing losses, the chief minister said it is still in debt because there is a difference in the price at which the government purchases and supplies power.
“We are supplying power to everyone on a concession basis. Be it a domestic consumer or commercial consumer or industrial consumer, everyone takes power at concession rates. But it will get better gradually,” he said.
