| "The project will be completed and dedicated to the nation by June next year," Union Water Resources Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi told reporters here after visiting the project site in the Doda district yesterday. |
| Asserting that India had strictly adhered to the Indus Water Treaty of 1960 in the construction of the run-on-the-river project, he said the controversy surrounding the project would not become a hurdle in the peace process. |
| "The design of the project is strictly according to the Indo-Pak water treaty and will not become hurdle in the peace process," Dasmunshi said. |
| "Although Pakistan has raised some objections, we are expecting this issue will be sorted out," he said and regretted Islamabad's decision to approach the World Bank to help resolve the dispute. |
| Dasmunshi's visit to Baglihar comes after extensive discussions World Bank neutral expert Raymond Lafitte had with delegations from India and Pakistan in Paris earlier this month to understand their points of view. |
| He dismissed speculation that India and Pakistan might have joint control of the project and share electricity. |
| "There is no question of sharing electricity with Pakistan," the minister said. "Once the project gets completed, it would not only benefit Jammu and Kashmir on account of power generation but would also strengthen economic status of the state," he said. |
| Dasmunshi said he would be submitting a report to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the status of the project. |
| Lafitte is expected to inspect the project site in October after the visit of a Pakistani delegation. |
| Pakistan maintains the design of the project violates the Indus Water Treaty, a charge India has denied. |
| On May 10, the World Bank appointed Lafitte, a Swiss civil engineer, as a neutral expert, to address the differences between Pakistan and India on the project. |
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