JK News Today: Power Projects in J&K To Get In Fast Mode as Indus Waters Treaty Put in Abeyance
JK News Today: With the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) now in abeyance following the Pahalgam terror attack, the Government of India has announced its intention to fast-track hydropower and navigation projects in Jammu and Kashmir that had long been stalled due to Pakistani objections.
Union Minister for Power and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar confirmed the development, asserting India’s “sovereign right” over its rivers and declaring, “Earlier, we needed their consent. Now, that limitation is gone.”
Khattar said India would revive projects like the Tulbul Navigation Lock on Wular Lake in north Kashmir—abandoned in the 1980s due to Pakistan’s objections under the IWT—as well as initiate fresh hydropower ventures in both Kashmir and Jammu divisions. “The Tulbul project will be revived. A Detailed Project Report (DPR) will soon be prepared,” Khattar said, adding that Pakistan’s earlier objections, including to the 1981 Wullar Barrage, no longer stand.
The IWT, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, allocated the eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) to India and the western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) to Pakistan, but with conditions allowing limited Indian use on the western rivers for hydropower, agriculture, and domestic needs. However, every new Indian project had to be notified to Pakistan, often stalling major infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir. Following the suspension of the treaty, India has begun regulating water flows on the Chenab at Baglihar Dam in Ramban.
Khattar issued a warning to Pakistan over any future provocations: “They have already received their answer. If they act again, they will get a stronger one.” On strategic concerns such as a potential Chinese reaction to Brahmaputra river developments, he said: “These are strategic matters, and we should not speculate.”
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who met Khattar in Srinagar, confirmed that two major projects—one each in Jammu and Kashmir—are ready for reactivation following the IWT’s suspension. “We are holding talks with the Centre to begin work soon,” Omar said, also confirming plans for the revival of the Tulbul navigation project. However, his remarks attracted criticism from PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, who called them “irresponsible and dangerously provocative.”
The Tulbul project, originally proposed in 1982, aimed to maintain year-round navigability of the Jhelum River from Wular Lake to Baramulla. Pakistan objected, citing potential violations of IWT provisions on flow regulation. The project’s revival now signals India’s growing willingness to move past decades of diplomatic restraint in infrastructure development in Kashmir.
Khattar also highlighted cyber and physical threats during the post-Pahalgam period, particularly under Operation Sindoor. He claimed over two lakh cyberattacks were thwarted, while shelling by Pakistan damaged power lines and homes in Uri, Baramulla. “Power was restored within five hours. There was no cyberattack on Uri power infrastructure,” he clarified.
Meanwhile, the Central Government reaffirmed its commitment to infrastructure growth in the region. Khattar said 99 per cent of Indian villages now have all-weather road access, metro networks rank third globally, and the Vande Bharat train will help Kashmiri farmers access broader markets.
In a pointed remark, Khattar reiterated the government’s position that “Talks and terror cannot go together. Trade and terror cannot go together. Blood and water would not flow together.”
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