J&K govt, Centre working on issue of power projects, says PDP

Jammu: Countering the Opposition’s attack on the issue of transfer of power projects to the state, PDP on Friday said modalities were being worked out between the J&K government and Centre to get them back even as it accused the previous regime of failing to do anything in this regard.

“Now, we are engaged in negotiations (with the Centre) and we are hopeful that progress will start in the direction to get the power projects back,” PDP’s chief spokesman and J&K minister Naeem Akhtar told reporters here.

“We will never sell the interest of the state — whatever we say in Common Minimum Programme (CMP) we will do vigorously and will ensure that this happens,” Akhtar said.

Earlier in the day, National Conference and Congress lawmakers had disrupted proceedings in both the houses of J&K legislature accusing the government of misleading people on the issue of transfer of power projects to the state.

NC leader Omar Abdullah had brought to the notice of the House a news article regarding the central government’s reply in Parliament that power projects cannot be transferred to the state in view of legal and financial problems.

“The controversy that has been triggered following a report published in a newspaper that Centre will not return back power projects to the state, has been a standard position of Government of India for last so many years,” he said.

“…The truth is that Omar Abdullah and his government had done nothing to get these projects back from NHPC. They are now expecting us to get the projects back and we will do it. When we held discussion on the CMP, we debated for strengthening of economy of the state, for which transfer of power projects is a must,” he said.

Akhtar also claimed that the question, which the opposition was referring to, “must have been submitted to the Parliament three months ago.”

“At that point of time, there was neither CMP nor coalition government in the state,” he said.

Akhtar further said, “It was standard position of GoI at that point of time. Now, we are engaged in negotiations and we are hopeful that there will be progress in this. These projects are neither in our pocket nor Modi ji’s pocket that we can bring them out and hand them over to other,” he said.

“It is a process of negotiations and process of transfer and we have six years to materialize it,” he said.

Hitting out at NC and Congress, he said, “They do not have either any political programme nor credibility to perform role of a effective opposition.”

PTI