Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu on Friday said no NOC is required for lifting drinking and irrigation water from Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) reservoir.

He said that Himachal can lift its share of 7.19 per cent water without any NOC. He also placed a notification in this regard in the House.

Sukhu said that this notification will also be sent to the Deputy Commissioners of Kangra, Bilaspur, Mandi.

“Apart from this, it will also be sent to the ENC of the Jal Shakti Department, so that they can prepare water schemes without any hindrance,” he stated while responding to the call attention motion brought in the House on Friday under Rule-62 regarding the problems being faced by the people from the BSL Sundernagar Hydroelectric Project constructed or operated by BBMB.

The Chief Minister said that whatever objections BBMB is raising in the development work, the issue will be raised with the BBMB management.

“BBMB will also be asked to put up fencing on the road leading from the dam side and the national highway. The vacant land of BBMB will be demarcated through the Deputy Commissioners, so that it can be known how much land is there and how it can be utilized,” he said.

After all the formalities are completed, this process will be taken forward, he added.

The Chief Minister said that the Pandoh Dam is not being operated as per the proper standards due to which there was heavy destruction in the lower areas last rainy season.

He said that incidents of leakage in the Baggi Sundarnagar Canal have also been reported during the rainy season.

Apart from this, the release of silt and silt in Suketi Khad also remains a problem, he added.

He said that a lot of land was acquired by BBMB during the construction of the project, but now BBMB does not need so much land at the time of operation, but BBMB does not want to return any of the remaining land to the state government.

“The dams are now operated under the Dam Act 2021, but even after three years, no significant progress has been made in this area. The appropriate action that is required in this regard is also being taken,” he said.

Earlier, speaking on the call attention motion brought under Rule-62, Sundernagar MLA Rakesh Jamwal (BJP) said that BBMB is not providing facilities to the people in his constituency.

“The roads built by BBMB are in poor condition. Apart from this, there is also a sewerage plant of BBMB, however the sewerage is being dumped in Suketi Khad without treatment, due to which there is a danger of spread of diseases in Sundernagar area,” he said.

He also stated about the silt coming out of Sundernagar lake by BBMB.

He said that silt is being dumped in the ravine, due to which the silt goes to the fields of local people with water in the rainy season, due to which the crops are getting destroyed.

He pointed out that there are many colonies of BBMB which are lying vacant. Now it has become a den of drug addicts. These should also be used.

BJP MLA Vipin Singh Parmar sought to know whether the government could lease the vacant land of BBMB and start tourism activities here, which will improve the economic condition of Himachal.

He said that the arrears that are not being received despite the orders of the Supreme Court should be strongly raised in the Regional Council meeting.