Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, June 16: Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, who is arriving on June 25 for two-day visit, is likely to lay foundation stone of 850 Mega Watt Ratle Hydroelectric Project on river Chenab at Drabshala in Kishtwar district in order to formally kick start the work on the project. This is the first ever power project in the country that has been awarded through a tariff based competitive bidding process and first private sector investment in the power sector in Jammu and Kashmir.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that a high-level team of Special Protection Group (SPG), which protects the Prime Minister, visited Kishtwar this afternoon to identify the spot from where Dr Manmohan Singh will lay the foundation stone of 850 Mega Watt Ratle Hydroelectric Project on river Chenab.
“As the road leading to the project site is narrow the SPG conveyed to the officers of the G V K Power and Infrastructure Ltd that foundation stone may be laid from the Kishtwar town”, sources said, adding “the SPG team, accompanied by senior officers of State Police, later flew to Banihal and then to Srinagar”.
In response to a question, sources said, “there seems to be minor change in the itinerary of the Prime Minister’s visit otherwise there was no justification for the SPG team to visit the site of Ratle Hydroelectric Project”.
Initially, the capacity of the project was worked out at 690 Mega Watts but on the recommendation of the Central Water Commission (CWC) the capacity was revised at 850 Mega Watts and the same was even approved by the Expert Appraisal Committee of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests and at other necessary forums, sources said.
In response to a question, they informed that at present the G V K Power and Infrastructure Ltd has obtained all the requisite clearances, which include Techno-Economic nod from the Central Electricity Authority and Environment Clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest etc.
“At present, the work on approach road from Kishtwar Highway at Drabshalla to the project site is going on at a required pace. One bridge (upstream side) has been completed and work on another bridge (downstream side) is being executed”, sources said, adding “the upstream bridge would get submerged following completion of work on the project while as the downstream bridge would be used to reach the proposed power house site”.
Responding to the question, sources said that G V K Power and Infrastructure Ltd has allotted civil and hydro-mechanical works to Larson and Toubro while as negotiations were going on for allotment of electro-mechanical works. “The work will be completed within 60 months from the date the foundation stone of the project is formally laid”, sources added.
About the land acquisition, they said, “this exercise has already been completed and entire land for the project stands mutated in the name of Jammu and Kashmir State Power Development Corporation, which has given permission to the G V K for use of the land for construction of project”. “No doubt some compensation cases vis-à-vis private land are pending but the efforts are on to settle the same as early as possible”, sources added.
The project envisages construction of 133-meter high concrete gravity dam across river Chenab and a total of 485 hectares of land is involved. Out of 485 hectares, 305 hectares is forest land, 36 hectares Government land and 62 hectares is private land.
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