Uttarakhand CM seeks ₹ 1774 crore for Song Dam drinking water project in Dehradun
The Song Drinking Water Project is proposed on the Song River and is located at the boundary of district Dehradun and Tehri Garhwal
Dehradun: Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday met Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman to request the release of ₹1774 crore for the Song Dam drinking water project as special assistance from the central government.
The chief minister also sought the removal of the ceiling imposed on the extent of loans that can be availed by the state in externally aided projects in view of the state’s special circumstances.
The Song Drinking Water Project is proposed on the Song River, a tributary of river Ganga, and is located close to the boundary of the Dehradun and Tehri Garhwal districts. The project envisages the construction of a 130-metre-high reinforced cement dam creating a lake that would be about 4 km in length that would be spread across 69 hectares.
The chief minister said the drinking water project would help supply drinking water to Dehradun at a proposed cost of ₹2,021 crore.
Dhami said the project would lead to the generation of 150 million litres per day (MLD) to 10 lakh people in Dehradun city and its suburbs.
“After the construction of the project, the dependence on tube wells for the drinking water system will almost end. Apart from this, a lake of about 3.50 km in length will be created by the construction of the project, which will promote tourism in the area. This will generate employment and increase the income of the local citizens”, he said.
Dhami said the project will also help in flood control and will protect about 15,000 people living in 10 villages of Dehradun district from floods in Song river.
The chief minister said that all necessary technical, forest land and other approvals related to the project have been obtained from the departments concerned. “For the rehabilitation and resettlement of the families affected by the project, an expenditure of ₹247 crore will be borne by the state government”, he said.
The chief minister added that along with the under-grounding of power lines in the main roads of Dehradun under the Asian Development Bank, the work of strengthening the state’s transmission system, which includes the construction of power substations and lines, will be done soon. He sought the approval of the department of economic affairs to the scheme.