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| 10 months on, work on 850 MW Rattle HEP remains suspended | | Locals stage protest, ask GVK to perform or 'get lost' | | Asif Iqbal Naik
Early Times Report
Jammu, May 12: Outraged at GVK Powers and its sub-contractor LNT limited failing to restart the work on state's prestigious 850 MW Rattle Hydro Electrical Power Project, scores of residents of Drabshala and other adjoining areas staged a massive protest on Kishtwar-Jammu highway on Tuesday.
As per the details available with "Early Times", large number of people hailing from Drabshalla, Bhunjwah, Kishtwar and other areas
led by Former R&B Minister and MLA Inderwal Ghulam Mohammad Saroori assembled at Drabshala and blocked the Jammu-Kishtwar National Highway for hours together demanding that work on the project be started forthwith.
While addressing the gathering, JKPCC Vice President G M Saroori said that Rattle power project is the first mega hydropower project being constructed in the state on Built, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) basis. He alleged that companies which were awarded the contract have let the people down as they failed to give adequate land compensation to the inhabitants of the affected villages Drabshalla, Kandani, Seeghad in Drabshalla who were dislocated due to construction of the project.
He asked GVK Management to resume the work on the project within a month time leave the project and give other companies a chance. "There are thousands of unemployed youth in Drabshalla, Saroor, Bunjwah, Thathri, Kahara, Kishtwar and other adjoining areas having vast experience in handling various kinds of machineries used in hydroelectric projects and also have experience from projects like 390 Dool-Hasti Power Project and 450 MW Baghliar Power Project" said Saroori. He said that there is no reason to deny jobs to locals on the pretext they are inexperienced. Taking strong note over the mismanagement of GVK and L&T Companies, Saroori said that these two companies have made the people suffer as presently the liability pending on account of various components including work done by contractors, labour wages, compensation on account of land and rehabilitation and resettlement plan is still pending in crores.
Saroori also assured the people of the area that as being the representative of the area, he would never let outsiders to be part of this prestigious project and priority in jobs would be given to the local skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers and thereafter if management did not find trained youths from the district, only then the company would be allowed hire manpower from outside districts. He said that due to work being stalled on Rattle project, state is losing nearly Rs 1500 Cr annually as this project would help the state in reducing the power deficit crisis, beside it would also help the state in saving nearly Rs 1500 Cr power tariff bills annually. Later ADDC Kishtwar Avtar Singh Chib along with ASP Kishtwar Abdul Qayoom reached the spot and assured the agitating people that district administration would take up the matter with GVK Management and would apprise it about the demand of people to restart the work and clear all the pending balance contractors, labourers and others.
They assured the protesters that they won't allow L&T to take its machinery back till it clears all the pending liabilities.
After getting assurance from the authorities, the angry protestors relented and ended the blockade but Saroori threatened to intensify the protest if companies fail to clear the liabilities within one month. Pertinently, 850 MW Rattle Hydro Electrical Power Project is being constructed on river Chenab in Drabshala area of Kishtwar district.
Ten months have passed since the GVK Powers limited and its sub contractor L&T suspended the work on the project. Locals in July 2014 had held strong protest against the project management for denying the jobs to residents other than the affected families that too they were provided menial jobs by the project management.
However the sources informed the "Early Times" that the financial crunch faced by the GVK Power Limited and their dispute with Sub Contractor LNT was the main cause for work on project being stopped. |
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