NC asks govt to come clean on leasing electricity from Rattle Power project to Rajasthan

Srinagar Jan 05: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference on Friday asked the government to clear the air on the agreement between JKSPDC and Rajasthan Urja Vikas and IT services limited as it has created a lot of misgivings among the people of Jammu & Kashmir.

Echoing the sentiments of people, party’s State Spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said that the agreement has stirred the hornet’s nest as the terms and conditions on the face of it are seemingly to the disadvantage of J&K.

“Normally Power Purchase Agreements usually last for a maximum of 20 years. However in this case they are signing it for 40 years at a pre negotiated price which is also unknown. There has been a feeling of betrayal amongst the people of J&K that their resources are being bartered away. The fresh agreement for offtake of electricity for a period of 40 years from the Commercial Operation by Rajasthan Urja Vikas & IT services has further added to the looming scepticism. Government should bring out a white paper on the agreement informing people about its underlying purpose and what benefits will J&K reap from it,” he said.

Imran further said that the government should have prioritised providing electricity to the domestic consumers firstly as the looming energy crises being severely felt across J&K was far from over.

“For electricity starved people of J&K, is this agreement a solution? It’s a question that the government has to answer. It makes no sense that at a time when J&K is grappling with electricity crisis, the government is selling out electricity to other states,” he added.