Where is our share? Dammit

Some 30 years ago, J&K was promised a share in the spoils in return for providing land for Thein Dam project. Punjab is yet to honour the promise.


BILAL HUSSAIN

IT IS a classic case of a rich state trampling over the rights of a poor state. Rich Punjab has denied economically poor, but resource rich, Jammu and Kashmir its share in Thein Dam.

Thein Dam, also known as Ranjit Sagar Dam, is located on river Ravi near Thein village and straddles the border of Punjab and J&K about 24 km upstream of Madhopur.

The dam is the product of an agreement signed by then chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah and Surjeet Singh Barnala, respectively, on January 20, 1979.

The Centre approved the project in 1982 and construction began in November 1985.

The project was initially estimated to cost Rs 500 crore, but by the time it was completed in June 2000 it had consumed Rs 3800 crore. The project began generating power in August 2000.

As per the 1979 agreement, Punjab was to share 1,100 cusecs of water, 20 per cent of the electricity, and 15 per cent of the jobs the project would generate to Jammu and Kashmir. Nearly 30 years on, Punjab is yet to honour the agreement. This despite the fact that J&K provided about 40 per cent of land for the project. On the other hand, Himachal Pradesh, which provided five to six per cent of land for the project, is getting its share of the electricity.

J&K’s share of water would have irrigated 32,000 hectares of land in Jammu and help produce an additional 2,066 lakh tonnes of food grain, besides helping solve the acute power crises. By not honoring the agreement, Punjab inflicts an estimated loss of Rs 1,000 crore annually on Kashmir. Some Rs 100 crore spent by the state on the construction of a canal system have also gone waste. Besides, Punjab owes J&K Rs 2,200 crore on account of compensation for the land, spread over 22 villages, submerged by the dam.

And rubbing salt into Kashmir’s wounds, Punjab canceled all bilateral agreements on sharing of water and electricity with J&K through legislation in 2004.

So now, the J&K government is contemplating legal action against Punjab. However, Punjab, it is believed, could possibly counter Kashmir’s claim on the grounds that it spends money on the dam and also that the latter has not paid its share of Rs 15 crore. But what will come out of the legal action remains to be seen.