A panel under the Ministry of Environment has approved the 260-megawatt Dulhasti Stage-II hydropower project on Chenab river in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district, officials said on Saturday. The clearance comes in the backdrop of India suspending the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan following the deadly Pahalgam terror attack in April this year. The Expert Appraisal Committee on hydel projects accorded the approval during its 45th meeting earlier this month, paving the way for floating construction tenders for the run-of-the-river project, estimated to cost over Rs 3,200 crore. According to the minutes of the meeting, the panel noted that the water of Chenab basin is shared between India and Pakistan in accordance with provisions of the Indus Water Treaty, 1960, and the project's parameters were planned in accordance with the treaty. "However, the Indus Water Treaty stands suspended effective from April 23, 2025," the panel noted. When the Indus Water Treaty was in force, ...