J&K is hopeful of Uri or Salal power project’s return to state

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and her deputy Nirmal Singh, who also holds the power portfolio, are hopeful of getting either the Salal or the Uri power project back from the NHPC. Informed sources told this newspaper that the People’s Democratic Party and their ally BJP believe that the Centre will make an announcement to this direction shortly, giving a major boost to their developmental agenda.

The state government’s confidence is reflected in the fact that in the current budget, it has earmarked funds for meeting the operational and maintenance costs of the power projects. Though Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal had earlier rejected the proposal to transfer the power projects, but CM Mufti is said to have secured a concession from the Centre following the 2016 unrest. The state government had been demanding the transfer of the power projects of Dulhasti, Salal and Uri from the NHPC in what was seen as an exercise to secure a certain amount of autonomy in the power sector. The state government, which is paying Rs 12,000 crore annually for the purchase of power, wants its own state power development corporation to take up future hydro-power projects. The government on Thursday said that the transfer of power projects from NHPC was an agenda of the BJP-PDP coalition government.

The government said it was hopeful of the same. It is in place to mention that the high powered Rangarajan Committee report had recommended that the NHPC should return hydropower projects to the state at the earliest.

Informed sources told this newspaper that soon after the Assembly session at Jammu, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti is scheduled to meet important ministers in New Delhi and press them for implementing the agenda of the PDP-BJP alliance, in particular the economic aspects of it. The Jammu and Kashmir government is working to modernise the state’s police department, following the unrest of 2016. The modernisation is being done with the aim that the government will not have to seek the help of the CRPF, BSF or other paramilitary forces in case of any future street protests.

Reports said that the Mehbooba Mufti led government has taken up the matter with the Union Home Ministry to help them modernise the J&K Police and enable it to deal independently with law and order situations in the Kashmir valley.

Reports said that the Union Home Ministry has assured all financial and technical