The construction work on the prestigious Shahpurkandi dam project has been resumed by the Punjab government, after due assessment on the ground with respect to labour availability at the site and Covid-19 safety precautions. The work, which had been suspended due to the nationwide lockdown, resumed in the presence of A. Venu Prasad, Principal Secretary, Water Resources Department, Punjab, who guided the resumption process on the directives of Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh.
The national level project, being constructed on river ravi by the Punjab government at an estimated cost of Rs 2,700 crore, will reduce the outflow of the river water to Pakistan, while benefitting both Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir. According to an officer, the Chief Minister and Minister of Water Resources Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria had directed the district administration, Pathankot, to examine the feasibility of restarting of the constructional activity on the project, after the Ministry of Home Affairs, issued guidelines on April 15, allowing resumption of construction activities on irrigation projects beyond municipal limits.