Omar bats for resumption of Tulbul project for economic push to J&K

WITH the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) kept in abeyance following the Pahalgam terror attack, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has called for the resumption of the Tulbul Navigation Project in north Kashmir to boost the region's economy.

- JITENDRA CHOUBEY @ New Delhi

The project was halted in 1987 due to pressure from Pakistan, which cited various clauses of the IWT that restrict any storage along the Jhelum river, a part of the Indus basin.

Notably, Articles III and IV of the IWT grant India the rights to use the waters of the Indus river basin for non-consumptive purposes. The Tulbul Navigation Project, also known as the Wular Barrage Project, was initiated in the 1980s with the goal of ensuring year-round navigation that would connect three districts of Kashmir — Anantnag, Srinagar, and Baramulla — and generating electricity downstream, particularly during the winter months.