VISIT OF PAKISTAN COMMISSION FOR
INDUS WATER
LOK SABHA
The Government arranged
a visit to Baglihar Hydro-electric Project (J&K) as a special
tour of inspection of the Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) from
19th to 23rd October, 2003. The tour was
undertaken under the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty at
the request of Pakistan Commissioner for Indus Waters (PCIW).
Both the Indian and
Pakistan Commissioners, accompanied by their advisors inspected
the works and sites of Baglihar Project on 21.10.2003. The dam
and power house areas of the Project were inspected by the PIC.
India has repeatedly
conveyed to Pakistan that the design of the Balihar Hydroelectric
Project fully conforms to the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty.
India has made all efforts to dispel the apprehensions of Pakistan
in the best possible manner by arranging the visit to the various
components of the Baglihar project and providing necessary explanations/clarifications
to the queries raised by the Pakistan team, during this 100th
tour of PIC. Moreover, India has consistently expressed its readiness
for technical discussions on the objections of Pakistan in meeting(s)
of the PIC to resolve the issues amicably in the spirit of goodwill
and cooperation envisaged in the Treaty.
This information
was given by the Union Minister of State for Water Resources,
Smt. Bijoya Chakravarty in written reply to a question from Smt.
Renuka Chowdhury in the Lok Sabha today.
