PATHANKOT: Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh stated today that the revival of the Ujh Multipurpose Project will bring multiple benefits to Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir. Recalling that the project was first proposed nearly a century ago, he said its completion would improve the utilisation of Eastern Rivers’ waters (Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej) allocated to India under the Indus Water Treaty, addressing chronic water shortages and helping curb cross-border infiltration. The project is expected to provide irrigation to nearly 90,000 hectares of agricultural land in Gurdaspur and Pathankot in Punjab, and Samba and Kathua in Jammu & Kashmir.
During his visit to flood-hit villages in Sujanpur on the second day of his tour of affected areas in Punjab, Dr. Singh informed local residents and media that the Ministries of Defence and Home Affairs have now intervened from a security perspective. The inter-ministerial coordination between Home and Water Resources aims to expedite the construction of the dam on the Ujh River. Currently, uncontrolled water flows during natural disasters, such as recent floods, are damaging farmland and BSF establishments, while creating vulnerable points for cross-border infiltration.
Dr. Singh recalled that work on the Shahpur Kandi dam on the Ravi River was also delayed for decades and was only revived after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention.
During his tour of flood-affected areas in Pathankot, Dr. Singh visited Kailashpur, Pangoli, and other villages in Sujanpur and met with victims. He instructed officials to take immediate steps for rehabilitation and to construct new infrastructure with enhanced flood resilience. Speaking to affected residents, he assured compensation for damage to homes and businesses.
Deputy Commissioner Pathankot, Aditya Uppal, briefed Dr. Singh on the impact of the floods. He reported that 250 houses were severely or partially damaged near Bridge Number 4 in Sujanpur, with crop losses over 7 acres and approximately 1,500 people affected, though there were no casualties. Over 700 people were rescued by NDRF, police, and the army. In Pangoli, about 200 people were affected, including 25 SC community houses, with roughly 6 acres of farmland swept away near the India Oil Petrol Pump towards Mamoon Cantt.
Yesterday, Dr. Singh had visited other flood-affected villages such as Polla, Kohlian, and areas along the Ravi and Jlali rivers, including Bamial, Chal, Amir, Simbal Sakol, Dhinda, and Bhupalpur, where he was briefed on the extent of the damage.
Dr. Singh emphasized that Prime Minister Modi is closely monitoring the rehabilitation of victims and reconstruction of damaged infrastructure. He added that he also tracks relief efforts across all 23 districts of Punjab, receiving daily updates from local authorities.
