'If It Were My Ministers, ACB Would've Raided Them': Omar Abdullah On Ratle Power Project Row
This comes after the executing company accused that it was being forced to hire unskilled workers by local politicians and warned to pull out.
Published : December 15, 2025 at 6:05 PM IST
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said that if his ministers were involved in interference of a national project like the 850-megawatt Ratle Hydroelectric Project, they would have been raided by the anti-graft body by now.
The Rs 3700 crore power project in Kishtwar has fallen into trouble after the company accused the concerned MLA from the Bharatiya Janata Party, Shagun Parihar, of interference.
Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL), a Hyderabad-based company, accused that it was being forced to hire unskilled workers by local politicians and warned to pull out of the crucial project over the Chenab river in Kishtwar.
“I know, and you know that if this accusation had been against any of my ministers, by now the ACB (anti-corruption bureau) would have raided him. These projects are not only for Jammu and Kashmir but for the entire country and are of national importance. There should be no interference. The agencies should look into it,” Abdullah said.
He said that the allegation of interference is about one MLA, but the other BJP MLA and Leader of Opposition in the J&K Assembly, Sunil Sharma, also interferes in every project there.
Originally set to be completed in September 2026, the Joint Chief Operating Officer of MEIL, Harpal Singh, said that the interference had delayed the project by two years and may trigger further delay if disruptions continue. But Parihar has dismissed the allegations as “irresponsible” and “irrelevant". The project is a joint venture of the J&K government and the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) in Kishtwar's Drabshalla.
Over 1,450 people are working on the project, with over 1,200 workers hailing from the twin districts of Kishtwar and adjoining Doda. The rest hail from outside these two mountainous districts and other states.
In the meantime, the MEIL has filed a complaint to the Deputy Commissioner of Kishtwar for seeking FIR and legal action against a “social media influencer” for posting false, defamatory and threatening content against MEIL officials on social media.
Harpal Singh confirmed they have filed the complaint and said they will pursue the case against him, as he has posted false and defamatory content against them.
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