Srinagar, May 20 (Reporter) After deciding to keep the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan in "abeyance", the Indian government is moving to revive the long-stalled Tulbul Navigation Project in Kashmir, a step that will benefit the Valley in terms of better availability of water and power. The Tulbul Navigation Project, also called Wullar Barrage, is located at the mouth of the Wullar Lake near Sopore in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district. Wullar is India’s largest freshwater lake and a critical component of the basin of river Jhelum, whose total rights of use have been granted to Pakistan under the IWT of 1960. The project, originally conceived in the early 1980s to build a barrage that will regulate water flow and help in power generation downstream, has been stalled because of Pakistan's objections since 2016 when almost 90 per cent work had been completed. Since the IWT has been kept in "abeyance", the Central government is exploring the possibility of handing over the project to a state-owned hydropower company, which could resume construction from where it was left off, officials said. The Centre has already sought detailed inputs from the J&K administration to assess the current status and draw up a revival plan, they said. “We intend to revive the Tulbul Navigation Project and other works stalled due to Pakistan’s objections under the Indus water treaty,” a senior government official said. “We will assess the progress made nearly a decade ago and resume the remaining work, with all necessary preparations already underway.” Earlier, in 2010, an effort was made by the Jammu and Kashmir Government, particularly Minister Taj Mohiuddin, to revive the project. Around two years later, terrorists lobbed a grenade at a bund constructed for the project. However, no one was injured. “By 2016, nearly 90% work was completed on the redesigned project at a revised cost of significantly lower than the original 1980s estimate,” Mohiuddin told UNI. He claimed that the subsequent government abandoned the project mid-way. The former minister said the project should be taken to its logical conclusion. After mooting the proposal in early 1980s to build the project, the Union government launched construction of a 439-foot-long and 40-foot-wide barrage in 1984 with a planned water storage capacity of 0.30 million acre-feet (MAF). The idea was to ensure a steady downstream flow of water, especially during the dry autumn and winter months when levels in Jhelum drop sharply. However, construction was halted in 1985 after Pakistan raised objections, arguing that the structure violated the Indus Waters Treaty. By 1986, Islamabad had taken the matter to the Indus Waters Commission, and work was completely stopped in 1987. According to its original design, the Tulbul barrage would “incidentally” help regulate water flow to major downstream hydropower projects in the border area of Uri in Baramulla district. While three power projects at Uri operate at full capacity during summer, their power generation capacity plummets to below 20% in winter due to reduced water levels in the Jhelum river. Experts say the Tulbul project could mitigate these seasonal fluctuations by maintaining a more consistent water discharge. While Pakistan has consistently maintained that the Tulbul structure amounts to a storage facility, New Delhi however, argues that the structure is a “navigation lock” aimed at ensuring year-round water transport and regulation, which is allowed under Article 9 of the treaty. The project was among the 8 subjects covered under the Composite Dialogue between India and Pakistan which went on for several years but the matter remained unresolved...////...