Srinagar, Aug 21:The much-anticipated 93-MW New Ganderbal Hydropower Project, which was first announced in 1996, is still in limbo since the authorities have not yet begun the project’s development.
The New Ganderbal Hydropower Project, which was to be built on the River Sindh, was expected to cost more than Rs 800 crore to build.
Three units of 31 MW each were planned for the project, which was designed as a run-of-the-river system on Sindh Nallah.
According to official sources, a two-stage bidding procedure was used in 2014 to pick the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contractor for the project, and Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) won the offer with a negotiated price of Rs 819.18 crore.
But until 2017, HCC was unable to carry out the project due to a number of factors.
According to the sources, the letter of intent (LoI) to HCC was issued by order of the cabinet. The proposal was then presented to the State Administrative Council (SAC), which was presided over by the then-governor Satya Pal Malik, and approved the cancellation of the bid process and the start of a new procurement process for the 93-MW New Ganderbal Hydroelectric Project by the Jammu and Kashmir State Power Development Corporation (JKSPDC) in the EPC mode.
According to the sources, “the decision was made given the resolution passed by the then Board of Directors of JKSPDC.” They claimed that the project had received all necessary approvals and that the Indus Commission of the Centre had verified all necessary compliances.
According to officials, if the project is finished, J&K’s power supply would improve, partially alleviating the current power crisis.
In comparison to other proposed and ongoing projects of the JKSPDC and National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC), the project is claimed to be more economically, geologically, and ecologically feasible. It also includes less social, rehabilitation, and resettlement concerns.
A senior KPDCL official said that a tender for this project was issued in October 2022, however so far there has been no concrete decision on the ground vis-a-vis starting work on the project.
