New early deadlines for 4 key Indus projects

India has fast-tracked four hydropower projects that are under construction in Jammu and Kashmir and plans are afoot on approving the designs of two more, three officials said on Thursday, highlighting developments after the country's suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan.

- Zia Haq

Work has been accelerated on the 1,000 MW Pakal Dul, 624 MW Kiru, 540 MW Kwar and 850 MW Ratle hydropower projects, all on the Chenab river, and their completion dates have been advanced by several months, with commissioning now scheduled between May 2026 and July 2028, one of the officials cited above said.

The Ratle power project is set to be the first one to be commissioned in May next year, an official of the Ratle Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited (RHPCL) said. RHPCL is a JV between the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited and the Jammu & Kashmir State Power Development Corporation (JKSPDC) Limited.

A series of meetings were held over the past month between the Union ministries of power, water resources, private contractors and local utilities, including JKSPDC Limited, to speed up the procurement and supply of labour from other states, a third official said.

The power ministry is also evaluating a detailed project report or DPR for the Tulbul navigation project, also known as Wular barrage, which was stalled in 1987 during initial stages of work due to objections from Pakistan.