Arbitration court order won't hit construction schedule of

New Delhi, Sep 29 (PTI) Indian Government Thursday said
the interim order of the international court of arbitration on
the India-Pakistan dispute over the 330-MW Kishenganga hydro
power project in north Indian state Jammu and Kashmir will not
"materially affect" the construction schedule.
"The order clearly states that it is open to India to
continue will all works relating to the Kishenganga
hydro-electric project except any permanent work on or above
the Kishenganga-Neelum riverbed at the Gurez site that may
inhibit the restoration of the full flow of that river to its
natural channel," highly-placed sources in government told PTI
here.
They said India was free to utilise the temporary
diversion tunnel "it is said to have completed" at the Gurez
site.
"We are also free to construct and complete temporary
cofferdams to permit the operation of the temporary diversion
tunnel," the sources explained quoting the order.
They said the Court has a copy of the construction
schedule submitted by India which says the foundation work
would only be completed in 2014, much after the final order of
the Court which is expected in 2013.
"The order is in our favour. It will not materially
affect the construction schedule. As it is, work at the site
is stopped during October-April period when the area is
covered with snow and we are free to carry out permanent
activities outside the riverbed.
"We can build the sub-surface foundations of the dam
which Paragraph 1 (c) of the order states," the sources said.
In an interim ruling issued on Friday last, The
Hague-based Court, which was approached by Pakistan, said it
was necessary to lay down certain interim measures in order to
"avoid prejudice to the final solution" of the dispute as
provided under the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960.