Srinagar, Dec 15, KNT: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday indirectly flagged the alleged role of BJP MLA from Kishtwar, Shagun Parihar, in interfering with the execution of the Ratle Hydropower Project, asserting that political interference in institutions cannot be tolerated and must be dealt with seriously.
Speaking to reporters at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre here, the Chief Minister expressed disappointment over the situation surrounding the Ratle Power Project coming up in the Drabshala area of Kishtwar. While stressing institutional autonomy, Omar Abdullah said that if similar allegations had been levelled against members of his own government, accountability agencies would have acted without hesitation.
“I am the power minister, yet this portfolio has not been handed back to the elected government. If such accusations were made against any of my ministers, the Anti-Corruption Bureau would have raided their houses,” he said, in remarks widely seen as referring to the controversy involving BJP legislator Shagun Parihar, who has been accused by the executing company of stalling project work.
The Chief Minister as per the news agency Kashmir News Trust said that power projects in Jammu and Kashmir are not just important for the Union Territory but are of critical significance for the entire country. He underlined that agencies must be allowed to function independently, free from political pressure.
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Omar Abdullah said that while the current allegations are being linked to a single opposition MLA, there are others as well who, according to him, have been interfering in power-related projects. “Our agencies should work on their own,” he said.
The remarks come against the backdrop of allegations by Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited, a Hyderabad-based firm and one of the largest purchasers of electoral bonds, which has claimed that persistent political interference was aimed at shutting down the Ratle Hydropower Project. The company has termed the 850-megawatt project a venture of national importance and has warned of pulling out if the interference continues.
The Ratle project is a joint venture between the Jammu and Kashmir government and the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation and is being developed in the Drabshala area of Kishtwar.
On the other hand, BJP MLA Shagun Parihar has rejected the company’s allegations and accused Megha Engineering of recruiting surrendered militants at the expense of local inhabitants, a charge denied by the firm. [KNT]
