KISHTWAR: Senior Leader and Congress MLA from Inderwal, Ghulam Mohammad Saroori on Sunday demanded immediate start of work on 850 MW Rattle Power Project Drabshallah without further delay.
“Prime responsibility of any delay in starting the project lies on GVK, as they are the principal company who win the project bid”, Saroori said and asked GVK officials to immediately sort out the issue if any with L&T on its own; without making any local employees and work suffer.
Saroori blamed BJP for forcing the GVK and L&T for closing down the work on the said project. He said they (BJP) talked about ‘Achay Din’ before elections, but after winning the elections, they said they will have to give us a bitter-pill first to achieve ‘Achay Din’. “They don’t want development—but just playing with the sentiments of the people” Saroori added.
He said that telephonically he contacted higher officials of GVK management and they informed that they won’t leave the project but will start the construction work soon. He (Saroori) said if GVK Energy Limited starts work on the project, then it has to give preference to local un-employment youth of Drabshalla Block at first instance including to those families whose land were acquired for the project adding that after adjustment of unemployed youths from Drabshalla Block, the company must give preference to unemployed youths of Kishtwar District and adjoining areas as the same was agreed in principle by the management while signing the MoU with Government of Jammu and Kashmir.
He further said some people are playing politics over pity benefits over the issue of power project and urged upon the Jammu and Kashmir State Power Development Corporation Ltd (JKSPDC) to immediately take stern steps for start of project work and absorb the local unemployed youths of Kishtwar District in the project.