Ramban bears maximum impact of Sawalkote Project: Govt

Srinagar, Apr 4: The government on Saturday said that the Sawalkote Hydroelectric Project primarily impacts Ramban district, rejecting claims that Udhampur has been disproportionately affected or denied development benefits.

Replying to a question by legislator Pawan Kumar Gupta, the government detailed that the 1,856 MW project spans Ramban, Udhampur and Reasi, with “maximum submergence in Ramban district thereby making Ramban the most affected district.”

Out of the total 1,401.35 hectares of land required, 1,097.55 hectares fall in Ramban, 197 hectares in Udhampur and 106.8 hectares in Reasi.

“Approximately 14.00% of the total land requirement falls under District Udhampur,” the reply said.

On submergence, the government provided a sharper contrast.

Of the total 1,158.75 hectares, 1,030.55 hectares are in Ramban, 63 hectares in Udhampur and 65.2 hectares in Reasi.

“Approximately 5.44% of total submergence falls under District Udhampur and that of Ramban is 88.94%, thereby making Ramban the most affected district in the UT,” it said.

Addressing concerns that Udhampur lacks direct, all-weather connectivity to the project, the government said access routes were finalized through a Detailed Project Report (DPR) approved by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) under the Union Ministry of Power.

The DPR “outlines the various project features including all the access roads to project components,” based on “feasible site conditions.”

It also pointed to a “comprehensive Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) plan” that includes compensation and entitlements for affected communities, adding, “It won’t be prudent to say that Udhampur District is out of commensurate development benefits.”

Responding to concerns about landslide-prone access via Ramban, the government clarified that the Jammu–Ramban road is an all-weather road maintained by the National Highways Authority of India, while the Ramban–Zero Morh stretch is maintained by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). “As NHPC is not maintaining these two major roads, no expenditure for landslides is liable to be borne by NHPC,” the reply said.

Regarding the proposed Pancheri–Lander–Galiote route – suggested as a shorter alternative of around 60 km- the government stated that alignment decisions had already been vetted. “

The DPR of the Project has been prepared based on technically feasible and commercially viable conditions,” it said.

It further said that the suggested route from MH Morh to Chakka is unsuitable for project logistics. “The road is a single lane with high maintenance cost and will not serve the purpose for the transportation of heavy machinery and equipment required for the construction of the project,” the reply said.

The government added that altering access plans at this stage would be impractical.

“Any change in the project’s access road at a later stage may result in delay in construction of the project and cost overrun,” it said, emphasizing that such decisions depend on “various engineering and economical considerations.”