The North News
Chandigarh/Dirba, October 14
Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Monday said the state government is taking strong measures to ensure permanent flood protection, including large-scale desilting of rivers. Addressing reporters in Dirba, Cheema announced that work will begin to clean, deepen, and widen the Ravi River and Sutlej River, while the state has sought the Centre’s approval to clean the Beas River, which is designated as a Ramsar site.
Cheema said 28 vulnerable locations along the Beas have been identified for urgent desilting and called for maximum support from the Centre to protect Punjab from future flood disasters. He highlighted the severe losses faced during the 2023 and 2025 floods, stressing that river desilting is essential to safeguard lives and agriculture.
The Finance Minister also strongly opposed the Central Government’s proposal to grant permanent membership to Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan in the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), terming it “injustice to Punjab” and vowing not to allow other states to control the board.
Earlier in the day, Cheema inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for development projects worth ₹11.46 crore in his Dirba Assembly constituency. These included a ₹2.5 crore canal water project in Chhajli village to address water table depletion, and 17.35 km of new and upgraded rural roads worth ₹8.81 crore. He also inaugurated a ₹15 lakh dharamshala for the SC community in Maidewas village.
Cheema underlined that under Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s leadership, the government is focused on strengthening healthcare, education, and infrastructure, with a strict emphasis on quality and accountability in public works. Contractors will be required to maintain the new rural roads for five years.
