A year-and-half after India started work on an 850mw hydropower project on Chenab river, Pakistan has objected to the design of the dam in J&K, sources said Tuesday. This was one of the major points of discord during the three-day meeting between India and Pakistan on the Indus Water Treaty, which took place in New Delhi from February 1 to 3. [related-post] While the Pakistan side was led by Mirza Asif Beg, the Indian delegation was headed by Indus Water Commissioner K Vohra. They had last met in August 2014 in Islamabad. According to sources privy to the discussions, the Pakistan side raised objections to the “design of the dam”, and said it was not in conformity with the Indus Water Treaty of 1960. Officials said the Indian side had been asked by their Pakistan counterparts to “address” their concerns or else, they would move for “third-party arbitration”. Former PM Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi had laid the foundation stone for the project in June 2013. The project is located on river Chenab near Drabshala village in Kishtwar district of Jammu & Kashmir.
