Srinagar, May 11 (Scoop News) -Peoples Democratic Party President Mehbooba Mufti has said it was unfortunate that instead of endorsing the PDP’s demand for return of power projects like Salal, Dolhasti, and Uri , the present National conference led government has entered into another agreement with NHPC that would again hit the state interest. She said the National conference is clinging to political power at the cost of electric power which is more important and vital for the economy of the state.
Addressing a largely attended public rally in Langate today Mehbooba said the transfer of seven power projects by the previous NC government to the NHPC represented the worst sellout that the state has suffered leading to its economic disempowerment. She said the transfer of seven major power projects with a total generation capacity of more than 3000 MW’s by Farooq Abdullah government to the centre has robbed the state of its only potential source of income and thrown the state into darkness.
Mehbooba Mufti said water is a major asset of Jammu & Kashmir but unfortunately the state as a result of the agreement between Dr Farooq and the then Power Minister of India Kumaramanglam is not able to execute these projects which could generate electricity worth thousands of crores every year. Had we been having the authority over our own water and power sector the state would not have had to beg even for the salary of its employees”. She said it was tragic that on the one hand the N C handed over our basic source of income to the government of India and on the other they put in jail those employees who demanded their well earned salaries.
Reiterating that her party will continue the campaign for the return of the power and water resources to the state Mehbooba said the self respect, dignity and the employment opportunity of our youth are closely related to this demand. “Unless these projects are returned to the state and the terms with NHPC for new projects are renegotiate
d the PDP will not rest” she said and hoped that people rise up to the occasion and lend their voice to this genuine demand.
Mehbooba said the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s lip service to the issue by mentioning the Indus water treaty is only a tactics to divert the attention of the people from the fraud his party has played with the state interests. She said while PDP was the first to raise the issue of the unfair exploitation of the state water resources, the party was conscious that the people of the state would like nothing to be done to dilute the treaty between India and Pakistan which could starve the neighboring country of water. “ It is useless to rake up settled issues while the state government does not even mention the demand for renegotiation of terms with NHPC and the return of power projects which has been endorsed by the working group set up by the Prime Minister also” she added.
Referring to the Bill passed by the government in the state legislature on inter district recruitment Mehbooba said the people in all regions are suspicious of its impact because of the manner in which the government rushed it through the state legislature. She said this is the only Bill of such importance on which there was no debate and even the ruling party members were not allowed to speak not to mention the opposition.