Ganderbal, Oct 30: Nearly three decades after its announcement, the 93-MW New Ganderbal Hydro Electric Project remains grounded, with construction yet to begin and its latest setback coming from the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC), which has refused to extend its environmental clearance.
Conceived in 1996 to harness the hydropower potential of the Sindh Nallah, a major tributary of the Jhelum basin, the run-of-the-river project comprises three generating units of 31 MW each.
The EAC, under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, has asked the Jammu and Kashmir State Power Development Corporation Limited (JKSPDC) to submit a fresh Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) proposal instead of extending the project’s existing environmental clearance.
The project received environmental clearance on September 27, 2013, valid until September 2026. JKSPDC had sought a two-year extension until 2028.
However, during its recent appraisal, the EAC observed that construction of the main project components had not commenced. It said the proposed extension would be insufficient as construction and implementation of environmental safeguards would require at least 48 months.
The committee also flagged substantial changes in project costs and price escalation since the scheme was originally formulated.
The project had moved towards execution in 2014 when a two-stage bidding process was initiated to select an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contractor. Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) emerged as the successful bidder at a negotiated cost of Rs 819.18 crore.
However, HCC failed to execute the project by 2017, following which its contract was cancelled.
The proposal was subsequently placed before the State Administrative Council (SAC), chaired by the then Governor Satya Pal Malik, which approved cancellation of the bidding process and fresh procurement by JKSPDC through the EPC mode, in line with a resolution of the corporation’s Board of Directors.
Despite the decision to restart the procurement process, the project failed to take off.
The prolonged delay has triggered resentment among residents, who said successive governments had failed to translate repeated assurances into action.
“The announcement of a new power project in Ganderbal had raised hopes among people, but those hopes proved short-lived. Even after so many years, there is no construction on the ground,” residents told Greater Kashmir.
They said the project could have strengthened power availability in the region and helped ease the electricity crisis.
“The continued delay reflects the authorities’ failure to take this important project forward. If commissioned, it could provide some relief to common people facing power shortages,” said Bilal Ahmed, a local resident.
About The Author
