To further improve the irrigation system and clean power generation in the State, Punjab Water Resources Department has completed 60 percent work of Shahpurkandi Main Dam despite the COVID situation during 2020.
“The Department resumed the construction work, which was halted due to unprecedented nationwide lockdown imposed to contain the spread of the pandemic, on the Shahpurkandi Dam on April 29, 2020, after some relaxations were given in the lockdown. Now, the work of the project is going on in full swing and almost 60 percent work of the Main Dam has been executed,” said the state Water Resources Minister Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria on Thursday.
Expressing hope to start the filling of the reservoir of Shahpurkandi Dam Project by November 2022, he said that the project will hopefully start generating power in 2023.
“On completion, this project would generate 208 MW power besides letting Ranjit Sagar Dam to run as a peaking station. While creating tourism potential and improving the socio-economic conditions of the people in this border area, it would also provide intensive irrigation facilities in 37,000 hectares in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir,” he added.
Shahpurkandi Dam project Chief Engineer SK Saluja said that an amount of Rs 170 crore has been spent during the current financial year up to December 31, 2020, and expenditure of Rs 1,233 crore has been spent on the project against approved project cost of Rs 2,715 crore.
“The work of power house will be started in January 2021 and the work on Jammu and Kashmir side would also be taken up in January next year after the land acquisition process is completed by J&K Government. This year, the Forest clearance for areas falling in Punjab and J&K has been obtained from Union Ministry of Environment and Forest,” he added.
Notably, the Shahpurkandi Dam Project is being constructed on river Ravi 11 km downstream of Ranjit Sagar Dam and eight kms upstream of Madhopur Headworks in Pathankot district. It will reduce the outflow of the river water to Pakistan.