SRINAGAR: MLA Pulwama Waheed-ur-Rehman Para on Friday raised concerns over an alleged revenue loss of around Rs 1,000 crore to Jammu and Kashmir following the High Court’s decision to strike down water usage charges imposed on hydropower projects.
Reacting to the ruling by the High Court of Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh, the Pulwama legislator questioned the administration’s handling of the case, in which the court quashed demand notices issued under the Jammu and Kashmir Water Resources (Regulation and Management) Act, 2010.
The High Court held that the charges amounted to a tax on electricity generation, a matter beyond the legislative competence of the erstwhile state legislature. It declared the relevant provisions of the 2010 Act unconstitutional to the extent that they authorised the levy on hydropower projects and set aside the consequential demand notices.
Para also questioned why Jammu and Kashmir had remained without an Advocate General for nearly two years, pointing out that the Law Department was under the Chief Minister’s charge. He expressed concern over the administration’s preparedness to defend the Union Territory’s interests in legal matters.
“If this is how we defend our interests, what hope is there for the statehood case?” Para said in a post on X.
The Rs 1,000-crore figure was cited by Para as a potential revenue loss following the court ruling.
