Union Minister for Water Resources Pawan Kumar Bansal claimed on Thursday that the Bhakra dam's water level is safe and there is nothing to worry. The minister was reacting to the allegations of some experts that the situation of Bhakra dam is precarious and that it could have been avoided.
The Bhakra Dam is on the hit list of Pakistan-based militant outfits Lashkar-e-Tayiba and Jamaat-ud Dawa, an Intelligence Bureau report has warned, prompting the Punjab and Himachal Pradesh governments to step up vigil.
Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has lauded the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) for its effective management of water and power resources, catering to the needs of partner states. The event marked 50 years of the BBMB.
Punjab's AAP leader Baltej Pannu has criticised the central government's changes to the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) appointment rules, claiming it's an attempt to control the state's river waters.
Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda has criticised the Centre's latest notification regarding the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), calling it 'anti-Haryana' and raising concerns about the state's water rights and employment opportunities.
Heavy rains exacerbate the flood situation in Punjab, leading to 37 deaths and widespread crop damage. Rescue and relief operations are underway as authorities issue alerts and provide assistance to affected populations.
Hydrology experts suggest that India cannot be directly blamed for the devastating monsoon flooding in Pakistan this year, citing greater destruction upstream of the border and lack of evidence for intentional action.
The Punjab Assembly on Monday unanimously passed a resolution to not release any water from its share to Haryana, citing the state's water scarcity. The resolution also demanded the reorganization of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) and the repeal of the Dam Safety Act of 2021. The decision comes amid a stand-off between the two states over the distribution of water from the Bhakra dam. The resolution was moved by Punjab's Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal, who accused the BJP of trying to take away Punjab's water rights. The resolution was supported by all parties, including the opposition, which termed the Dam Safety Act of 2021 as an "attack" on the rights of Punjab. The resolution also criticized the BBMB, calling it a "puppet" of the BJP-led central government. The Punjab government maintains that the state does not have surplus water to spare and needs it for the upcoming paddy sowing season. The resolution has triggered strong reactions from the BJP, which has accused the Punjab government of politicising the issue.
Central security agencies have alerted the Director General of Police of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the possibility of an terror strike on dams, particularly the Bhakra Nangal project, with the intent of creating economic destability in India.
The national capital was in the grip of a cold wave, with the sun largely obscured by clouds and pollutants lingering in the atmosphere, leading to reduced visibility. At least 129 flights were cancelled at the Delhi airport on Saturday due to dense fog, according to an official.
'Punjab floods are a calamity.' 'Right from Firozpur to Amritsar nearly 1 lakh homes have been completely damaged due to floods.'concern about the state of affairs.
The meteorological centre in Shimla issued a 'red' alert on Sunday for very heavy downpour in 10 districts of Himachal Pradesh, while services on the Shimla-Kalka rail line were suspended for hours till the debris and trees fallen on the tracks following overnight rains were removed.
Himachal Pradesh experienced its second snowfall of the season, leading to the closure of 15 roads, including two national highways. A tourist from New Delhi died in an accident on an icy road in the Lahaul Spiti district, while three others sustained injuries.
'We have,' says Anvar Alikhan, 'proved right Winston Churchill, when he warned in 1947 that 'Power will go to rascals, rogues, freebooters... leaders will be of low calibre and men of straw... They will fight amongst themselves for power and will be lost in political squabbles.'
Water flowing into Pakistan from the Sutlej, Ravi and Beas can be stopped only if three dam projects on this side of the border are completed.
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In Punjab, more than 9,000 people were evacuated in Patiala, Rupnagar, Moga, Ludhiana, Mohali, SBS Nagar and Fatehgarh Sahib districts, officials said on Tuesday.
The uproar over 'dams' following the Uttarakhand disaster is ill-informed & potentially counter-productive, says Anand Sankar
Son's offer to supply free power after 25 years is based on the idea that the cost of running a solar plant would progressively decline while its efficiency would increase.
Only traces of rainfall were recorded in a few areas of the national capital on Thursday which continued to experience sultry weather.
Six decades and more later, we are now captives of our identities. Every poll is based on elaborate calculations of electability of candidates on the basis of their castes and other narrow definers. That, along with voter promiscuity, is what defines our political culture, which remains stubbornly resistant to any change, asserts Shreekant Sambrani.
These new Indian beers demonstrate that 'strong' needn't be unsubtle.
The water level rose above the danger mark in Haridwar and Delhi and the level at Bhakra dam was a foot above the permissible mark.
Water scarce Delhi might get an enhanced supply by the end of this month with the Haryana Government agreeing to let its canals be used for carrying water from the Bhakra Nangal dam to the capital's Nangloi water treatment plant.
The water level of Pong Dam, also known as Beas Dam, reached at 1386.84 feet-mark on Monday at 11 pm against the danger level of 1390 feet.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government of being 'undemocratic', and said people will have to strongly fight against its 'dictatorship' to save democracy.
Heavy rains continued to lash various parts of Himachal Pradesh, disrupting normal life in lower and mid hills while most of the rivers are in spate due to sudden rise in water level due to rains in catchments areas.
'India's output contraction in the previous year was among the worst in the world!'
Modi's critics will say that he has put up cement and steel structures, but weakened the institutions of governance whereas Nehru strengthened them, observes T N Ninan.
A team of six trekkers from New Delhi and Shimla is missing in Kinnaur district, officials said. A rescue operation will be launched.
On the occasion of the first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru's 125th birth anniversary, Sheela Bhatt/Rediff.com visits his residence of 16 years, and comes away marvelling at his enduring legacy.
SYL has been a contentious issue between the two states with the Punjab portion of the canal still incomplete.
The Congress party on Friday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ministerial colleagues, latching on to the controversy surrounding newly-inducted minister of state for HRD Ram Shankar Katheria over his graduation marksheet.
'Now that the Ram mandir is done, we need to move on. And grapple with COVID-19, a sputtering economy, a belligerent China...' 'The temple may win a few more elections for the BJP, but by itself it won't solve the nation's growing problems of economic and social distress,' notes Virendra Kapoor.
Rescuers on Monday fished out bodies of five Hyderabad-based engineering students, who were washed away in the swirling waters of Beas River along with 20 classmates whose fate is not known as Chief minister Virbhadra Singh ordered a magisterial inquiry and suspension of Resident Engineer of Larji hydropower project.
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India's hydroelectric power generation grew 17.5 per cent to 7.5 billion units in January this year from 6.4 billion units in the same month of 2012.
Five people, including a minor girl, died and as many injured in separate incidents during heavy rains in Kullu, Kangra and Chamba districts of Himachal Pradesh.
Mounting an assault on the Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday asked the voters in Maharashtra not to be swayed by the party which "spreads hatred in society". She said BJP and Shiv Sena might have parted ways but in reality they are one.
For more than half of all Indian households, the very personal act of defecation is an open affair, says Joel Rai
The Congress hit back saying the PM could not mislead the people by 'lying' as he had been 'exposed'.
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