Politics over Power!

Free power supply is an election agenda in J&K. National Conference, PDP & Apni Party in their election manifestos have assured to supply certain units of free electricity. In the past also Political leaders in power gave assurances about free power supply to people whose land and resources were used for setting up of hydropower projects. But when the projects were completed the locals got nothing? We all know that in order to gain something, one has to lose something. Even happiness is built on someone else’s misfortune and for every loss there is a hidden gain. For hidden gain there is a loss as well. In this world there are some occasions and times when people lose everything and get nothing in return except disasters and stress. A famous Urdu couplet explains this nicely

“ Na khuda hi mila, na visaal-e-sana 

Na idhar ke rahe, na udhar ke rahe “.

This couplet fits for communities and people living in remote areas of Jammu & Kashmir especially the forest dwellers whose resources (land , forest , water) was acquired for so-called developmental projects especially hydropower generation but in return these communities got nothing except environmental disasters plus economic loss? Even the small hydropower projects which are supposed to have less impact on the environment and human settlements are not only colliding with the biodiversity and ecology but also it affects the economic well being of people. I am not talking about mega power hydropower projects of J&K which were set up in Salal Reasi, Kishtwar or Ramban but even the smaller ones have been disastrous and people got nothing in return? They only got assurances which were never fulfilled?

When the 7.5 MW Hydropower project was being constructed around 15 years back in a forest village called Branwar in District Budgam, a lot of promises were made with villagers by the local politicians in power. Many villagers whom I met in the recent past told me that they were assured to get free electricity from the hydropower project. After more than 10 years the electricity crisis is not only bad in Branwar but also in the adjoining habitations and villages like Neegu, Jabbad, Surasyar, Bonen, Batwodder and Kutbal as well.

During winters people get mere 4 to 5 hours electricity and when it snows this remains off for weeks. No new electric cables, transformers or iron pylons have been erected. Lot of electricity transmission loss is taking place and locals have to pay for these losses also. Soon after a little rainfall power supply is cut in most of the villages in this remote area of Budgam which comes under the Surasyar block. When I recently visited Mechi Khanain meadow trekking 12 kms up Branwar I found the old course of Doodh Ganga dry. This was the area, I along with my friends would catch fresh trout, but that is now history. From Meche Khanain downstream to Branwar, the Doodh Ganga is almost dry. A little water joins it around Yusmarg from Kalnag stream but that is very little, but from Meche Khanain to Frasnag and downstream 2 kms this waterbody is completely dry now & everything in this stream has perished?

Misleading information on UNFCCC

There is hardly any detailed information available on Govt websites in J&K about the Branawar 7.5 MW small hydropower project. I found a document related to this project called Clean Development Mechanism-CDM on the website of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change-UNFCCC. The UNFCCC is the UN process for negotiating an agreement to limit dangerous climate change. It is an international treaty among countries to combat “dangerous human interference with the climate system.”

The CDM allows emission-reduction projects in developing countries to earn certified emission reduction (CER) credits, each equivalent to one tonne of CO2. These CERs can be traded and sold, and used by industrialized countries to meet a part of their emission reduction targets under the Kyoto Protocol.

As per the details available about Branwar hydropower project on UNFCCC website, it says that local communities have been taken on board and the consent of local Gram Panchayat was sought in a stakeholders meeting held on June 15th 2008. It is important to note that in 2008 there were no Gram Panchayats in Kashmir and elections for the Panchayats were held in May 2011. The document says that stakeholders were invited by giving advertisements in two local newspapers mentioning the date, time and venue of the Clean Development Mechanism-CDM stakeholders meeting.

Conclusion

The politics is revolving around power in J&K & all political parties are saying they will provide free electricity to poor families. What about those villages which were impacted with hydropower projects and have to pay huge electricity fees? What will they get? Will people of Branwar and many other villages get free or subsidized electricity after elections if the same leaders who made promises with them in the past are elected to power?

Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat is an Acumen Fellow.

He is Chairman & Founder of Jammu & Kashmir RTI Movement. He is also Anant Fellow for

Climate Action.