Rajasthan has urged the Centre to ensure the state receives its full earmarked share of water from the Pong dam. Besides the desert state, Punjab and Haryana are the other partner states.
The issue figured in the presentation made by Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma at the NITI Aayog Governing Council’s meeting in New Delhi on Saturday.
Sharma said that the earth-filled embankment dam along the Beas river in Himachal Pradesh has a maximum gauge of 1,400 ft. However, since the commissioning of the dam 51 years ago, its water level has never been allowed to touch the 1,400 ft mark, not even in a good monsoon season.
“Therefore, the Chief Minister said, Rajasthan and the other partner states are getting less water than their earmarked quota, in proportion to the availability of water in the dam.
Sharma said that the Centre should take due decision to fill water in the dam at the earliest.
He also pleaded in the governing council to soon issue approval for the lining of the 51.5 kilometre Ferozepur feeder.
He said Rajasthan also requires early drafting of a plan for evacuation to generate an additional 44 gigawatts of solar energy. This is essential to attain the target of producing 115 gigawatts of energy in the state.
The CM also shared with NITI Aayog highlights of his government’s efforts in various sectors, including industrialisation, water supply, and tourism.