Earlier, Pakistan has raised objections over the design of this project that will come up in the picturesque Gurez Valley near the Line of Control (LoC) on river Kishen Ganga or Neelam. However, Centre gave its nod for construction of the project. The project will be managed by National Hydro Power Corporation.

Officials in the HCC said work on the project will start soon and the project will be on the turnkey basis at an estimated cost of 2,726 crores. “This is an important contract for us,” Vinayak Deshpande, President & Chief Operating Officer, HCC said. “In this contract HCC will be responsible for engineering, procurement and construction of all items including civil and associated infrastructure works; supply, installation, testing and commissioning of all electromechanical plant and machinery and hydro-mechanical components including generating units,” he said.

Giving project details, Deshpande said the project will be completed and commissioned in an estimated 84 months. “The project involves the construction of a 37 metre high concrete faced rock fill dam, 23.5 kilometre head race tunnel and an underground powerhouse,” he said adding the maximum gross head of 665 meter is proposed to be utilized to generate 1,350 million units of energy.

The 330 MW Kishanganga hydro-electric power project involves damming of Kishanganga or Neelam River and the proposed 103 metre reservoir will submerge some parts of the Gurez valley. The water of Kishen Ganga River will be diverted through a 27 kilometre tunnel dug through the mountains to Bandipore where it will join the Wular Lake and then Jhelum River.

Earlier, Pakistan also had expressed reservations over the construction of project. A high level Pakistani delegation led by its Indus Commissioner, Jamaat Ali Shah even visited the site to inspect Kishanganga power project and held detailed discussions with JK power officials. Officials said that Pakistan had shown some reservations about design of the Kishanganga hydel project.