RHPCL's pact to provide power to Rajasthan will rob people's basic amenities: Mehbooba Mufti

Taking a dig at the 40-year Power Purchase Agreement between RHPCL and Rajasthan Urja Vikas and IT Services Ltd, Mehbooba Mufti rued that the region is already reeling under a power crisis and the pact will hit the inhabitants of Jammu and Kashmir. The pact was signed in Jaipur on Wednesday.

Srinagar:Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti, on Saturday expressed her concerns over the government's decision to outsource hydroelectric resources at a time when the region is grappling with an unprecedented power crisis. She said the agreement would deprive people of their basic amenities.

Taking to her X handle she wrote, "At a time when Jammu and Kashmir is facing a severe power crisis never witnessed before, our hydroelectric resources are being outsourced to other states. Yet another decision that will rob people of basic amenities with an intention to collectively punish inhabitants of Jammu and Kashmir," Mehbooba, president of Peoples Democratic Party, tweeted, highlighting the potential ramifications of such a move on the local population.

Mufti's remark comes in response to the Ratle Hydro Electric Power Corporation Ltd's (RHPCL) recent agreement with Rajasthan Urja Vikas and IT Services Ltd to supply electricity from its 850 MW power plant in Kishtwar in Jammu and Kashmir. The RHPCL is a joint venture company of state-owned NHPC Ltd and Jammu and Kashmir State Power Development Corporation (JKSPDC), a power ministry statement stated.

According to the statement, the RHPCL has signed an agreement for offtake of power for 40 years from the commercial operation date of the project and the power allocation will be notified by the Ministry of Power. The Power Purchase Agreement was signed in Jaipur on Wednesday and senior officers from both RHPCL and Rajasthan Urja Vikas and IT Services Ltd were present at the event.

The move has raised questions about the long-term impact on the already strained power scenario in the region. It has also ignited debates on the prioritisation of energy needs over the welfare of the local population with critics fearing that outsourcing power resources may worsen the challenges faced by residents and impact their access to basic amenities.

Mufti's statement has added a political dimension to the issue, drawing attention to the potential social and economic consequences of such decisions in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

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