The ambitious plan of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) to undertake large-scale desilting of the Gobind Sagar reservoir of the Bhakra Dam has run into fresh trouble after the Himachal Pradesh Government objected to the tenders issued for the project, contending that the board failed to obtain the mandatory no-objection certificate (NOC) from the state before initiating the process.
According to documents available with The Tribune, the Himachal Government has informed the BBMB that since the entire reservoir area proposed for desilting was within the territorial jurisdiction of the state, the board was required to secure prior approval from it before floating tenders.
In a communication addressed to the BBMB authorities, the Secretary (Power) and Director (Industries) of Himachal Pradesh reportedly said any excavation activity within the reservoir area could not proceed without obtaining the requisite NOC from the state.
Sources said the objection had forced the BBMB to revisit its tendering strategy. The board is now considering reissuing the tenders with a modified condition under which the successful contractor would be responsible for obtaining all necessary clearances, permissions and NOCs from the Himachal Government and other agencies before commencing the work.
The development has created uncertainty around a project that was being viewed as a historic intervention in the management of one of northern India’s most important water and power infrastructure assets. The proposed desilting exercise is significant because it would be the first such large-scale attempt since the Bhakra Dam became operational in 1959. The BBMB had planned to begin excavation at two sites Lunu in Bilaspur district and Seer Khad in Una district of Himachal Pradesh.
Estimates prepared by the board suggest that nearly 150 million cubic metre (MCM) silt is available for removal at each location. However, officials acknowledge that complete removal is impractical. Under current projections, contractors may be able to excavate only about 4-5 MCM annually due to operational constraints.
The urgency behind the project stems from the growing loss of storage capacity in the Gobind Sagar reservoir. Studies conducted by the BBMB indicate that the reservoir has already lost nearly 26 per cent of its original storage capacity because of continuous sediment deposition over the past six decades.
Sources said even if the tendering issue was resolved, major challenges would remain. Environmental approvals, transportation logistics, seasonal limitations and the sheer scale of sediment accumulation were likely to slow progress.
