Will focus on harnessing hydro-power in J&K, says CM

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today reviewed the pace of work on Rs 640.40 crore Parnai Hydro-Electric Project (HEP), saying his government would focus on harnessing the full potential of the state in hydropower generation.
"My government will focus on harnessing the full potential of the state in hydropower generation as well as efficiently using its water reserves to irrigate huge tracts of agriculturally-fertile land," Sayeed said chairing a high level meeting here.
He said the people are the principal beneficiaries, who expect that all developmental projects taken up by the government are completed within the stipulated timelines.

Directing for completion of the project within the stipulated timeframe, the Chief Minister said the Parnai HEP has been conceived as a multi-purpose project, keeping in mind its potential to augment both the power and irrigation-related needs of Poonch district in Jammu region.
The chief minister was informed that Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, is holding weekly meetings to resolve the land acquisition issues involved in the project.
A chief engineer has been posted exclusively for the project to coordinate various aspects for its completion without any impediments, an official spokesman said.
He said Patel Engineering Limited, the project-executing company, has been asked to accelerate the construction work by deploying required machines and manpower at all the sites.

The work on the Parnai Project, which is a Run-of-the-River (RoR) scheme with installed capacity of 37.5 MW, began in April last year and was also expected to irrigate vast tracts of agricultural land after its completion in 2018.