A bench of Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar passed the direction on a petition filed by the nine inhabitants of Village Kralpora Check Bandipora in a representative capacity through advocate Altaf Mehra
The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has issued notice to state government and National Hydro Electric Power Corporation for response on a petition seeking directions for rehabilitation of the families affected by the Kishenganga Hydroelectric Power Project in Bandipora in accordance with the National Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy 2007. The petitioners also seek directions for constitution of a panel to oversee implementation of the policy.
A bench of Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar passed the direction on a petition filed by the nine inhabitants of Village Kralpora Check Bandipora in a representative capacity through advocate Altaf Mehraj.
“In terms of the various reports got prepared by the project authorities a total of 384 families comprising of the people belonging to Dard-shin schedule tribe in some six villages namely Badwan, Wampora, Khapura and Nayal in Gurez and check and Kralpora in Bandipora shall be displaced due to the said project either partially or wholly,” petitioners plead.
“ Since the Kishenganga Hydro Electric Power Project involves major issues including displacement of the people, loss of Agricultural Land , loss of livelihood , loss of customs and usages of the displaced tribal people besides issue of environmental degradation, therefore, in terms of the National Policy for Rehabilitation the Respondents were under an obligation to address the issues in terms of the National Policy” they submit.
They further plead that the project shall have huge adverse impact on the environment and shall cause loss of numerous varieties of medicinal/plantation which is specific to the said area only.
The state government in collaboration with GOI has handed over the execution of the Kishenganga Hydro Electric Power Project to NHPC. Kishanganga river emanating from the Gilgit region of the Kashmir valley and leading into Pakistan is running across the valley of Gurez.
The project on which execution work started in 2009 shall generate 330 MW of electricity by utilizing the waters of Kishenganga diverted through the 23 KM long tunnel from Gurez to the village of the Petitioners from where the said water post to the generation of electricity shall go to the Wular lake.
