Jammu, Feb. 17 -- The Shahpur Kandi barrage is set for completion by March 31, a move that will effectively plug the outflow of excess water from the Ravi river into Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir jal shakti minister Javed Ahmed Rana said. Speaking to a news channel over the weekend, Rana said that the project is a priority for the administration, aimed at providing irrigation to the parched Kandi (dry land) belts of Kathua and Samba districts. "Yes, excess water to Pakistan will be stopped. It has to be stopped," Rana said in response to a query regarding the project's impact on cross-border water flow. The Shahpur Kandi barrage, designated as a national project, was revised after four decades of stagnation following the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This follows a broader push by the Centre to fast-track languishing hydroelectric projects in the Jammu region to ensure optimal use of river waters. The strategic shift in water management gained significant momentum following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 last year, which left 25 tourists and a local guide dead. In the aftermath, PM Modi announced a slew of punitive measures against Islamabad, including the suspension of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). Since then, India has made steady progress on four ongoing hydel power projects on the Chenab river-one of the three western rivers under the IWT-which India has kept in abeyance since the attack. These projects-Pakal Dul (1,000 MW), Kiru (624 MW), Kwar (540 MW), and Ratle (850 MW)-are being implemented through a joint venture between the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) and the Jammu and Kashmir State Power Development Corporation (JKSPDC). They are expected to be commissioned by 2027-28....