Make efforts for commissioning of Shahpurkandi project on time: Pb chief secy to dam authority

Punjab Chief Secretary Karan Avtar Singh on Wednesday directed the Shahpurkandi dam authority to make all out efforts for the commissioning of the project as per the scheduled deadline, a government release said.

Punjab Chief Secretary Karan Avtar Singh on Wednesday directed the Shahpurkandi dam authority to make all out efforts for the commissioning of the project as per the scheduled deadline, a government release said. The project, being constructed on the Ravi river, is scheduled to complete in May 2022. When completed, it will generate 1,042 million units of electricity per annum, reducing the outflow of the river water to Pakistan and benefitting both Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, said the release. Chairing the 11th meeting of standing committee of the Shahpurkandi Dam Construction Board here, the chief secretary said this was a prestigious project of the state and with its commissioning the nation will be able to utilise full potential of the river as per the Indus Water treaty.

The project will create irrigation potential for 5,000 hectares in Punjab and 32,173 hectares in J&K. The Shahpurkandi dam would act as a balancing reservoir for the Ranjit Sagar dam, enabling it to run as a peaking power station and utilise its full installed capacity during monsoon period, the release said.