Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 5: Congress MLC, Balbir Singh today staged a walkout from Legislative Council and tore the papers in the House after he did not get a satisfactory reply to his question regarding the start of work on Ujj Hydro Electric Project to be constructed on river Ujj in Kathua district.
The MLC tore the papers and threw them in the House in protest saying that this is the way of running government by the coalition. He also protested against the Chairman who did not allow him to call more supplementary questions and asked another member to raise his question.
Taking serious note, the member argued with the Chairman, Haji Anayat Ali. However the Chairman did not budge and asked another member to raise his question. When Chairman did not pay heed to him, the Congress MLA staged a walkout from the House.
Earlier in her reply Minister of State for Power, Health and Medical Education, Asiea Naqash said the Ujj is a multipurpose project which will help in promotion of tourism,, help in Flood Control and provide Irrigation facilities. She said with the construction of the project the unutilized water which was going to Pakistan will be utilized properly.
She said the report was revised as the State Government wanted minimum submergence under the dam. In reply to the supplementary of the MLC she said the work will be started when DPRs will be approved.
She said Ujj multipurpose project in district Kathua is a national project and State Government is in process of implementation of this project. Its technical investigation has been carried by Central Water Commission (CWC) for formation of DPR and the detailed project report is presently being updated by the CWC to incorporate the recommendations of the expert team who visited site on March, 2017.
The seismic studies for the project are being carried out by the Geological wing of the Corporation through ITI Roorkee, she added.
The period for construction for the project has to go under revision as per updated DPRs she said.
However the MLC wanted to know when the work on the project will be started and demanded that the Government should give the specific answer to his question.