Srinagar, Jan 17 (Reporter) CPI(M) leader Mohamad Yousuf Tarigami on Wednesday wrote a letter to Central Power Minister Shiv Raj Kumar Singh against the recent power purchase agreement between Ratle Hydro Electric Power Corporation Ltd. and J&K Power Development Corporation and termed it "unjustified.”. Tarigami termed the deal with Rajasthan Urja Vikas and IT Services Ltd. for off-take of power for 40 years as unjustified and said that the agreement is also against the development of the J&K economy. “The agreement comes at a time when J&K is going through a severe electricity shortage. Due to the unbearable hike in tariffs, the anxieties of the people have deepened. Instead of compensating for the losses, our resources are handed over to other states, he alleged. The decision of the J&K administration to be highly “unjustified” and “unjust” is bound to make the people suffer more. As such, it needs to be withdrawn, he added. In his letter to the Central Power Minister, Singh, Tarigami wrote that “the recent power purchase agreement between Ratle Hydro Electric Power Corporation Ltd. and J&K Power Development Corporation with Rajasthan Urja Vikas and IT Services Ltd. for off-take of power for period of 40 years is not only the Government of India’s unjust decision but also against the development of the J&K economy.”. Jammu and Kashmir are bestowed with rich resources, minerals, and hydropower. Among the minerals are bauxite, gypsum, sapphire, and recently discovered lithium, while the water resources are for hydropower. generation is through big HEPs and from small waterfalls and mini hydro projects. The estimates are 24 thousand MW of power potential in the region, the CPI (M) leader said in the letter. He also wrote the details of potential power generation in Jammu and Kashmir: “NHPC is generating 2397 MWs, and 10 percent of the total power generated is the share of J&K. According to the government, hydropower generation will be doubled by 2026 and tripled by 2030. Some HEPs in progress are HEP Rattle 850 MWs, Kewar 540 MWs, and Kirithi 390 MWs. The other hydropower projects for which work is in progress are Pukuldul 1000 MWs and Kiru 624 MWs, which are under NHPC. Besides 1856 MW Swalakot HE and 380 MW Dulhasti Stage-2",. There is no shortage of power supply in J&K, and its biggest HEP is Baglihar HEP, with an installed capacity of 900 MW, and the rest of the 22 projects are small ones. The shortage of power in J&K is due to several reasons, which the leader has mentioned in the letter. “The Jammu and Kashmir administration has entered into an agreement for the off-take of power out of Ratle HEP for a period of 40 years at a time when it has an available power distribution supply for 6–8 hours in the winter lean period when the available supply for the summer months is for 12–14 hours," he said. He said that the economy suffers due to power scarcity throughout the year, the MSME sector gets a few working days due to a shortage of power, the household domestic handicraft industry suffers, and therefore, Jammu and Kashmir cannot afford to sell power out of its HEPs to outside. “The decision of the J&K administration to be highly unjustified and unjust is bound to make the people suffer more. As such, it needs to be withdrawn," the letter concludes...////...