No water release from Pong Dam

The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) today in consultation with partner states reduced the discharge of water from Bhakra Dam and stopped all releases from Pong Dam in a bid to expedite the filling of dams, which had been heavily depleted in May in anticipation of rains which never came.

Water levels in reservoirs are shrinking as snow-fed rivers have got reduced to a trickle.

The water level in the Pong reservoir is 387.93 metre against last year

The Rajasthan Government on Thursday stepped up its efforts to get maximum water from Bhakra and Pong dams in Punjab, in view of the threat by the Kisan Mazdoor Vyapari Sangharsh Samiti to launch an agitation from Friday in Sri Ganganagar and adjoining areas, if sufficient water for irrigation was not made available from the Indira Gandhi Canal.

Facing problems in procuring seed from outside the state, the Fisheries Department has initiated a process for setting up a Rs 5-crore seed farm near Pong Dam to meet its own requirements.

The department has identified nine hectares tract near Pong Dam, located above the maximum water level.

Dharamsala: The office of Deputy Commissioner, Relief and Rehabilitation, formed especially by the state government for the welfare of Pong Dam oustees, has failed to even maintain proper data about oustees.

Special Correspondent

Himachal, Rajasthan to sign MoU to resolve the issue
Pong dam is the main source of water for the Indira Gandhi Canal Project
2,631 remaining oustees will be rehabilitated in IGNP's second phase region

JAIPUR: The Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh Governments have agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding to resolve the three-decade-old contentious issue of rehabilitation of oustees of the Pong dam, which is the main source of water for the Indira Gandhi Canal Project (IGNP).

TWICE-DISPOSSESSED Pong dam oustees have urged the Centre to sponsor tripartite talks between their representatives and the BJP governments of Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan to settle rehabilitation

With increase in power demand from the agriculture sector and lower water level in the Bhakra and Pong Dam reservoirs, there has been a sudden power crisis in Punjab. According to Punjab State Electricity Board officials, unscheduled power cuts are unavoidable because of the regulatory steps taken by the board for ensuring the security of the northern grid.