Srinagar, Oct 27: The ambitious 1856 MW Sawalkote Hydro Electric Project on the Chenab River, billed as the largest hydropower venture in Jammu and Kashmir, remains entangled in procedural, technical, and financial hurdles, seven years after it received techno-economic clearance from the Central Electricity Authority (CEA).

In a detailed written reply to a question raised by NC MLA from Banihal, Sajad Shaheen, in the Legislative Assembly, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who also holds the portfolio of the power ministry, said that despite substantial pre-construction progress and the formal transfer of the project to NHPC Limited for execution, “the final approval and financial closure are still pending.”

The reply attributed the delay to engineering challenges, prolonged regulatory cleara

See Full Page