Haryana, Himachal ink pact for dam on Hathnikund Barrage; Chief secretaries of both states sign MoU in presence of Khattar, Thakur

SGT Times Reporter

Chandigarh, January 21

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today said that the Saraswati River, which has been extinct for many years, will be rejuvenated with the construction of the Adi Badri Dam.

The Chief Minister said this while speaking at the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony held for the construction of Dam at Adibadri in the presence of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur at PWD Rest House, Panchkula on Friday.

Haryana Chief Secretary Sanjeev Kaushal and Himachal Pradesh Chief Secretary Ram Subhag Singh officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the construction of the dam in the presence of both the Chief Ministers.

Khattar said that today his 35-year-old dream has come true.  He had traveled in 1986-87 in connection with the research being done regarding the revival of Saraswati.  This journey started from Adi Badri in Yamunanagar and reached Kutch. Due to the construction of the Adi Badri Dam, 20 cusecs of water will flow continuously in the Saraswati River. With this, water will flow in Saraswati throughout the year, added the Chief Minister.

He said that there is not only a religious belief regarding the flow of the Saraswati River but its presence underground has also been proved through satellite.  For conducting research on Saraswati River, a chair has been set up in Kurukshetra University, besides Haryana Saraswati Heritage Development Board has also been established. 

Haryana Government has notified an area of 200 km from Adi Badri to Ghaggar river via Kaithal for Saraswati River.  A mention of the same can also be found in the revenue records.

The Chief Minister said that this dam would be built on 31.66 hectares of land in the Himachal Pradesh region and an amount of Rs.215.33 crore would be spent for the same. It will store 224.58-hectare meters of water every year, of which Himachal Pradesh will get 61.88-hectare meters of water and Haryana will get the remaining 162-hectare meters of water. This water will flow into the Saraswati River.

The width of this dam will be 101.06 meters and the height will be 20.5 meters. Around 20 cusecs of water from the dam will flow into the Saraswati River throughout the year, added Sh. Manohar Lal.

He said that the objective of this project is to revive the Saraswati river as well as increasing the ground water level.  With the commissioning of the dam, the flood situation arising out of excessive rainfall during the rainy days will also be dealt with. The lake being built near it will also promote tourism.

The Chief Minister said that with the construction of Adi Badri Dam, the area around it would also develop as a pilgrimage. He said that the area from Kalka to Kalesar is very important from the tourism point of view. Many religious and tourist places come in this area including Adi Badri, Lohagarh, Kapal Mochan, Mata Mantra Devi.  With the development of Lake along the dam, many tourists will come here, which will benefit both the states.

The Chief Minister said that several projects would be worked out in collaboration with Himachal Pradesh, including the construction of a dam at the Hathnikund barrage. Along with generating electricity from this dam, the continuous flow of clean water will also become possible in the Yamuna River. 

In this dam, the water flowing from the mountains to the Hathnikund barrage will be stored, so that the crops will also be saved from flood-like situations.  NOC has been sought for this dam, survey work will start soon, added the Haryana CM.

Khattar further said that the Morni area has developed from the point of view of tourism. Here the water problem will be resolved soon. The problem of water will be resolved by constructing a small dam on the river flowing near this area.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said that Adi Badri Dam would help in meeting the requirement of irrigation and drinking water for both states.

With water flowing in the Saraswati River, this area will be developed from the point of view of religion and tourism. Prime Minister, Sh. Narendra Modi has also expressed his desire for the revival of the Saraswati River many times in programmes. 

In this episode, today an MoU has been signed between Haryana and Himachal Pradesh governments regarding Adi Badri Dam. Proper compensation will be given to the landowners whose land will be used for the construction of the dam, he added.

Thakur said that in the coming days, the foundation stone of this dam will be laid after completing all the formalities related to this project. Governments of both States are also preparing the roadmap for many other projects together. This will develop tourism in both the regions, he added.

Haryana Education Minister Kanwar Pal said that it is a matter of great pride that a dam will be built at Adi Badri. The Vedas were written on the banks of this river.  For some reason, this river had become extinct.

He said that Khattar had started the work for the revival of Saraswati as soon as he took charge as the Chief Minister and today both Haryana and Himachal Pradesh governments while working amicably have turned this dream into a reality.  This is a historic moment, it is nothing less than a Bhagirathi effort, added Kanwar Pal.

Vidhan Sabha Speaker Gian Chand Gupta, Ambala MP Rattan Lal Kataria, Chief Principal Secretary to Chief Minister D. S. Dhesi, Chairman of Central Water Mission R. K. Sinha, Advisor, Haryana Saraswati Heritage Board Amit Jha, Additional Chief Secretary, Public Works (B&R) Department Anurag Rastogi and other senior officers also remained present on this occasion.