With Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, Manohar Lal calls for desilting of Salal project

Union Minister of Power and Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal on Sunday (January 4, 2026) directed sediment removal at the Salal Power Project in Jammu and Kashmir to ensure maximum utilisation of water resources, in the wake of the Indus Waters Treaty being kept in abeyance between India and Pakistan. He also toured power projects in Kishtwar amid an ongoing controversy.

While visiting the Salal Power Project, operated by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation, Mr. Lal called for “expediting the sediment removal operations of the Salal reservoir”.

Located on the Chenab river in Reasi district, the direction follows the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty last year. Officials said the removal of accumulated silt was aimed at “maximising optimal utilisation of water resources”.

Mr. Lal said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had delivered a clear message to Pakistan by keeping the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance last year. “Water of Chenab and Indus will be used for benefit of our own people,” he said.

He also said no person with an unlawful background would be engaged in the ongoing hydel power projects in Kishtwar. “Employment will be provided only to verified and law-abiding workers. Good people should get work. Those with unlawful backgrounds will not be engaged. Any information regarding workers will be verified through institutions. No adverse inputs have been received so far,” he added.

Amid the controversy, Mr. Lal also visited the Ratle Hydroelectric Project, where he was briefed on the status of various works. The project, approved in 2021 at a total cost of ₹5,281.94 crore, is scheduled to be commissioned in May this year.

An official spokesperson said the Union Minister laid the foundation stone for dam concreting works and encouraged “the project team to complete the works in an effective and time-bound manner”.

In December, Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Ltd, which is constructing the project, had threatened to pull out, citing “threats and interference” from locals and politicians, with an indication towards Bharatiya Janata Party leaders. “There is a lot of pressure on our workers. The way locals and politicians act is undemocratic and should not happen,” Harpal Singh, chief operating officer of the dam from the Hyderabad-based company, had said.

Mr. Singh also briefed the Union Minister. Bhupendra Gupta, Chairman and Managing Director of NHPC, apprised Mr. Lal, who is on a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir, about “the progress of various NHPC hydroelectric projects” in the Union Territory. Mr. Lal is scheduled to inspect projects in Reasi, Ramban, and Kishtwar districts.