Centre's green panel gives nod to Dulhasti hydel power project on Chenab river
New Delhi (PTI): A panel under the Ministry of Environment has approved the 260-megawatt Dulhasti Stage-II hydropower project on Chenab river in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district, officials said on Saturday.
The clearance comes in the backdrop of India suspending the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan following the deadly Pahalgam terror attack in April this year.
The Expert Appraisal Committee on hydel projects accorded the approval during its 45th meeting earlier this month, paving the way for floating construction tenders for the run-of-the-river project, estimated to cost over Rs 3,200 crore.
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According to the minutes of the meeting, the panel noted that the water of Chenab basin is shared between India and Pakistan in accordance with provisions of the Indus Water Treaty, 1960, and the project's parameters were planned in accordance with the treaty.
"However, the Indus Water Treaty stands suspended effective from April 23, 2025," the panel noted.
When the Indus Water Treaty was in force, Pakistan had rights over the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab rivers, and India over the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej. With the treaty now in abeyance, the Centre is pushing ahead with several hydroelectric projects in the Indus basin, such as Sawalkote, Ratle, Bursar, Pakal Dul, Kwar, Kiru, and Kirthai I and II.
Dulhasti Stage-II is an extension of the existing 390 MW Dulhasti Stage-I Hydro Electric Project (Dulhasti Power Station), which has been successfully operating since its commissioning in 2007 by National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited.
Under the plan, water will be diverted from the Stage-I power station through a separate tunnel measuring 3,685 metres in length and 8.5 metres in diameter to form a horseshoe-shaped pondage for Stage-II.
The project also includes a surge shaft, a pressure shaft, and an underground powerhouse housing two 130 MW units, resulting in a total installed capacity of 260 MW and an annual energy generation.
The total land requirement for the project is estimated at 60.3 hectares. This project will require 8.27 hectares of private land from two villages, Benzwar and Palmar, in Kishtwar district.
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Bihar CM Nitish Kumar takes oath as Rajya Sabha member
New Delhi (PTI): Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday took oath as a member of Rajya Sabha, marking the end of his two-decade rule in the eastern state and paving the way for a new chief minister.
The oath was administered by Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan in his chamber at a brief ceremony. The Chairman later welcomed him as a member of the Upper House and also on his return in Parliament.
Kumar took the oath in Hindi in the presence of Union Minister J P Nadda, who is also leader of the house, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Panchayati Raj Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ram Nath Thakur and Minister of State for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal.
Bihar deputy chief minister Samrat Chaudhary was also present at the oath-taking.
JDU leader and party's working president Sanjay Kumar Jha, Congress chief whip in Rajya Sabha Jairam Ramesh, besides BJP MP and former union minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy and BJP chief whip in Lok Sabha Sanjay Jaiswal, were among those present during the oath-taking.
"Vice President of India and Chairman, Rajya Sabha, Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan, administered the oath to Shri Nitish Kumar as an elected Member of Rajya Sabha, from Bihar, at Parliament House today," the Vice President's office said on X, while sharing pictures of the oath-taking.
After the oath-taking, Kumar came out of the new Parliament building and spoke about the time he was a member of the Lok Sabha and sat in the old Parliament building.
As Kumar assumes the Rajya Sabha role, it marks the end of his long two-decade rule in Bihar. Kumar will soon resign as chief minister and the NDA is likely to elect a new chief minister of Bihar on April 14.
He has already resigned as a member of the State Legislative Council on March 30 after he was elected to Rajya Sabha.
The JD(U) supremo was elected to the Upper House of Parliament on March 16, and he had to quit as an MLC in the 14-day period after his election.
