Shimla: To the states concerns about silt discharges from Sundernagar reservoir on the Beas-Satluj link damaging parts of Balh valley in Mandi, Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), which manages the link, did assure chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, at a high level meet today that the issue would be accorded priority.
The contentious issue had led to stand-off between the state government and BBMB recently when at a grievance committee meeting, Ravinder Ravi, minister for Irrigation and Public Health, had ordered the arrest of a BBMB officer.
AB Aggarwal, chairman BBMB let the chief minister know that BBMB members would visit the affected area soon to assess the situation. “All efforts would be made to find an amicable solution to the problems of the people,†said Aggrawal.
On his part Dhumal let the BBMB authorities know about pending issues that needed to be resolved. He said that there were still a number of decade old rehabilitation cases project affected people pending before BBMB which needed to be settled.
The chief minister said that Balh valley farmers are agitated lot as they were regularly being affected by silt discharges made from Sundernagar reservoir. The issue dominates all grievance committee meetings as the silt was resulting in top soil infertility and resulting in low crop yields in an otherwise fertile valley, he said.
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads a team of media professionals at Hill Post.
Spanning a career of over two decades in mass communication, as a Documentary Filmmaker, TV journalist, Print Media journalist and with Online & Social Media, he brings with him a vast experience. He lives in Shimla.
