October 22, 2003	Wednesday	Sha’aban 25, 1424

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window)

NEW DELHI, Oct 21: Pakistan’s Indus Water Commissioner Syed Jamait Ali Shah said on Tuesday that a comprehensive report on Rs45 billion Baglihar hydro-electric project being constructed on River Chenab in occupied Kashmir would be submitted to the Pakistan government.

The commissioner, leading a three-member team, said this in held Kashmir after conducting an inspection of the Baglihar project in Doda district. The team visited the site to have an on-the-spot inspection of the project.

The other two members of the team are Azhar-ul-Haq and Waris Ahmed.

Besides the area the dam is being constructed, the team accompanied by Indian central government officials, visited three major construction sites and Chenab basin, and assessed the water flow at Chanderkote project site, said a news report from Jammu, quoting top officials.

The Pakistan team held detailed discussions with the officials of the Union Ministry of Water Resources, the NHPC and the Jammu Kashmir Power Development Corporation (JKPDC) on the issue. Sensitive aspects of water flow level under the Baglihar project were explained to the team members on the occasion.

Mr Shah told the reporters at Chanderkote project site that the team had come to inspect the project “as we had objections to it”.

“Now we have completed our work and will submit a full report over the project to our government in Pakistan,” he said, according to the report.

The Indian officials accompanying Pakistan delegation were Mr A.D. Bhardwaj, Mr G.A. Ragunathan and Mr C.K.L Dass.

Earlier, Pakistan Indus Water Commissioner had asked his counterpart during the meetings held between India and Pakistan in May last to arrange a visit of the project which, he added, was in violation of the parameters of the Indus Water Treaty.

However, Indian side had claimed that the project was in line with the prescribed parameters of the treaty and thus did not violate any provision of the accord.—APP

WARM TIES: The head of the Pakistani team visiting India to inspect the contentious Baglihar hydro-electric project said in Jammu that the resolution of water disputes could help to warm ties between the two neighbours, adds AFP.

“We have come here to see whether the provisions of the Indus Water Treaty...were violated. If we sort out the differences on the implementation of the provisions of the treaty, it will promote better relations,” Mr Shah said.

The 1960 Indus water treaty was negotiated between 1951 and 1960. Under the treaty, India has exclusive rights to the waters of the Sutlej, Ravi and Beas tributaries of the Indus while Pakistan has those to the Indus, Chenab and Jhelum rivers.

However, Mr Shah said he was confident the issue would be settled amicably.