JK govt asks Centre to relax guidelines of AIBP and FMP

Srinagar, Jul 1: Jammu and Kashmir government has asked the Centre to relax the guidelines of Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP) and Flood Management Programme (FMP) as the state has already suffered losses due to the Indus Water Treaty between India and Pakistan.

State Minister for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control Taj Mohi-ud-Din met the Central Water Commission (CWC) team led by its member R C Jha yesterday and discussed the implementation of central schemes Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP) and Flood Management Programme (FMP) with them, an official spokesman said.

"The Minister told the team that the guidelines of the two schemes need to be relaxed in favour of Jammu and Kashmir in view of the fact that the state has already suffered losses due to the Indus Water Treaty," the spokesman said.

Taj told the CWC team that a large chunk of irrigated land in the state has been used for urbanisation or converted for non-irrigated use like orchards and urged them to delete this land from the data of irrigated command area.

The Minister said chief engineers of Irrigation and Flood Control for Kashmir and Jammu have been asked to make a fresh assessment based on factual figures and get it reconciled with the Indus Commissioner.

He also sought immediate clearance of Jhelum Master Plan by the Centre, the spokesman said.

PTI