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Punjab cabinet approves Anandpur Sahib-Naina Devi ropeway project
The ropeway would facilitate lakhs of devotees visiting these two religious sites in a smooth and hassle-free manner, an official spokesperson said.
The Punjab cabinet on Thursday granted approval for setting up a ropeway between Anandpur Sahib and Naina Devi in public private partnership (PPP) mode to further promote tourism in the state.
The approval was granted at a meeting chaired by chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh here. The ropeway would facilitate lakhs of devotees visiting these two religious sites in a smooth and hassle-free manner, the spokesperson said after the meeting. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Punjab and Himachal governments on July 26, 2012, to set up the ropeway. The Punjab tourism department had acquired 108 kanal, 13 marla land for setting up a lower terminal and right of way within the state’s territory for this purpose.
The MoU was cancelled by the Himachal government on June 3, 2014. In February 2018, the Punjab government received a letter from the Himachal chief minister to revive the project, following which Amarinder conveyed his consent to the neighbouring state. Subsequently, the tourism department received the approved MoU from the HP government on September 5, 2018.
The project will be carried out in a PPP mode by setting up a special purpose vehicle (SPV). The total paid up equity of the SPV will be ₹1 crore, with ₹50 lakh each as share of the two states. As per the MoU, both states will have equal share in the revenue with concession period of 40 years.
Shapur Kandi Dam project pact ratified
The cabinet also ratified the agreement signed on September 8 between the chief secretaries of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, as well as commissioner, Indus, for immediate resumption of work on the Shahpur Kandi Dam project. The project, aimed to be completed in three years, would generate 206MW of additional hydropower, leading to irrigation and power benefits worth ₹852.73 crore annually.
“With the completion of the project, the Ranjit Sagar Dam would operate its optimum capacity and help in regulating releases at Shahpur Kandi Dam, thus helping improve irrigation facilities to the command area under Uppar Bari Doab Canal (UBDC),” said an official spokesperson. J&K would get its share of water from the project through gravity.
An agreement was signed on January 20, 1979, between the then CMs of Punjab and J&K regarding the Thein Dam project. The new project consists of Thein Dam, which has been renamed as Ranjit Sagar Dam, and was commissioned in 2000. Work on the main dam and head regulators commenced in March 2013. The construction was going on in full swing when the J&K authorities on August 30, 2016, stopped the work in their territory. With the intervention of the Union ministry of water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation and Prime Minister’s office, an agreement was signed between irrigation secretaries of both the states on March 3, 2017.
