Close X
Friday, November 1, 2024
ADVT 
India

Shahpurkandi Dam Project Will Cut Water Flow To Pakistan: Amarinder Singh

Darpan News Desk IANS, 09 Mar, 2019 12:18 AM

    The Shahpurkandi dam project will reduce the outflow of the Ravi river water to Pakistan once it is completed, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday said.

     

    The Rs. 2,700 crore Shahpurkandi dam project, being set up on the Ravi river, will generate 206 MW of power, besides having the potential to irrigate 5,000 hectares of land in Punjab and 31,000 hectares of land in Jammu and Kashmir's Sambha and Kathua districts.

     

    "This water, which was supposed to irrigate fields in Punjab and J-K, was going towards Pakistan. This project will reduce the water flowing into Pakistan drastically and will help save the critical water resources of the state," Mr Singh said while addressing the gathering in Pathankot.

     

    The chief minister, who was here for rededicating the project to people of Punjab, said it will be completed in three years.

     
     
     
     

    Of the estimated cost, which is in addition to Rs. 640 crore already spent till 2014, Rs. 1,408 crore would be spent on the power component, with 100 per cent share of the Punjab government, and Rs. 685 crore on the irrigation component, with a share of Rs. 485 crore to be contributed by the central government and Rs. 179.28 crore by the state government.

     

    The Shahpurkandi dam project is being constructed on the Ravi river, 11 km downstream of the Ranjit Sagar Dam project and 7 km up stream of Madhopur Head works.

     

    The Shahpurkandi dam project was described as a "national project" by the Centre in 2008.

     

    However, this project, which was initially a Punjab and J-K joint venture, was held up in year 2014.

     

    The work was stopped by J-K authority on August 30, 2014 on its side "under the guise" of the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act 2004, as per an official release.

     

    However, after the intervention of the Centre, both Punjab and the J-K governments signed an agreement in September last year to restart the work on the project.

     

    The project will be monitored by a team comprising a Central Water Commission member and chief engineers from the two states.

     

    Mr Singh said as many as 230 families ousted as a result of the project were offered jobs and another 34 would be given jobs shortly.

     

    The chief minister, who was accompanied by MP Sunil Jakhar and MLA Bhoa Joginder Pal, personally handed over appointment letters to five employees recruited for the Shahpurkandi dam construction.

     

    Asserting that the border belt up to Shahpurkandi would be one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the world, Mr Singh said the project would also give impetus to tourism, besides supplementing the income of residents in the region. With the construction of the Shahpurkandi dam, the historic Mukteshwar Temple would also be saved from submergence by creating a retaining wall, he added.

    MORE India ARTICLES

    Indian Consumers Say Big Hello To Voice-Based Devices

    Indian Consumers Say Big Hello To Voice-Based Devices
    Hey Alexa! Please play "Bhaja Govindam" by M.S. Subbulakshmi, goes the command every morning at my home and Alexa takes no time in obliging, playing the song by the legendary Carnatic vocalist as breakfast begins to roll.  

    Indian Consumers Say Big Hello To Voice-Based Devices

    College Girl, 21, Dragged Out Of Car, Allegedly Gang-Raped By 10 In Near Ludhiana

    College Girl, 21, Dragged Out Of Car, Allegedly Gang-Raped By 10 In Near Ludhiana
    A case under relevant sections of the IPC has been registered and police have launched a hunt to nab the accused.

    College Girl, 21, Dragged Out Of Car, Allegedly Gang-Raped By 10 In Near Ludhiana

    Bill Introduced For NRI Men To Register Marriage Within 30 Days

    Bill Introduced For NRI Men To Register Marriage Within 30 Days
    External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday introduced the Registration of Marriage of Non-Resident Indians Bill in the Rajya Sabha.

    Bill Introduced For NRI Men To Register Marriage Within 30 Days

    Not Intolerance Anymore, Its Outright Dictatorship: Nayantara Sahgal

    "It's becoming a habit of this government to stop people from speaking freely. It's not intolerance anymore, it is outright dictatorship. We have all seen how the Modi government has treated the creative imagination.

    Not Intolerance Anymore, Its Outright Dictatorship: Nayantara Sahgal

    Abu Dhabi Includes Hindi As Third Official Court Language, Sushma Thanks

    Abu Dhabi Includes Hindi As Third Official Court Language, Sushma Thanks
    The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD) has added Hindi as the third official language to be spoken in the city's courts, alongside Arabic and English.

    Abu Dhabi Includes Hindi As Third Official Court Language, Sushma Thanks

    Navjot Singh Sidhu Compares Priyanka Gandhi To Kohinoor Diamond

    Punjab Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Monday launched his parallel campaign backing the entry of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in the political scene of Uttar Pradesh.

    Navjot Singh Sidhu Compares Priyanka Gandhi To Kohinoor Diamond