Overview
- India’s Expert Appraisal Committee approved the Dulhasti Stage‑II project in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district as an extension of the 390 MW Stage‑I plant commissioned in 2007.
- State‑owned NHPC Limited will develop the project at an estimated cost of about Rs 3,277.45 crore, with construction likely to begin early next year.
- The plan reuses the existing dam, reservoir and intake, diverting additional flows from the Marusudar River via the Pakal Dul linkage through a new tunnel to Stage‑II.
- Environmental clearances note that roughly a 25‑kilometre stretch of the Marusudar downstream of Pakal Dul is expected to experience significant hydrological and ecological changes.
- The decision comes as India accelerates hydropower on western rivers, with the Sawalkot project cleared weeks earlier, and Pakistan signaling it will raise objections in diplomatic and legal forums.