Punjab CM inaugurates Shahpur Kandi project in Pathankot
Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday inaugurated the Rs 3,394.49 crore Shahpur Kandi project in Pathankot, which aims to significantly boost the state’s electricity generation and irrigation facilities.
While dedicating the project to the people on the occasion of the Parkash Purab of the first Sikh Guru, Sri Guru Nanak Dev, the CM said: “Punjab, being an agrarian state, will gain immensely from this project as it will not only increase power generation but also provide extensive irrigation facilities.”
He said the project will also create large-scale employment opportunities for the youth.
Mann further said that the Shahpur Kandi dam will be the lifeline of Punjab, especially for the Majha region.
The Shahpur Kandi dam project is being constructed at a cost of Rs 3,394.49 crore, out of which Punjab is contributing Rs 2,694.02 crore, while the remaining Rs 700.45 crore is being funded by the central government.
Mann further mentioned that 3,171.72 acres of land have been acquired for the project, out of which 1,643.77 acre, is in Punjab and 1,527.95 acre is in Jammu and Kashmir.
Speaking about irrigation benefits, the CM said the project will provide irrigation facilities to 5,000 hectares (12,500 acres) of land in Punjab, bringing water to farmlands in Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Amritsar, and other districts of the Majha region.
He said it will also ensure a continuous irrigation supply to 1.18 lakh hectares under the Upper Bari Doab Canal system.
Mann elaborated that before the construction of the Shahpur Kandi dam, the Ranjit Sagar dam power house could not operate at its full capacity of 600 MW during peak hours because there was no downstream reservoir to store water, resulting in excess water flowing unused into Pakistan.
However, the CM said, with the commissioning of the Shahpur Kandi dam, water released from Ranjit Sagar dam will now be stored in the new reservoir, enabling optimal power generation and ensuring a steady supply of water for irrigation.
