The North News
Chandigarh, May 26
Punjab’s rural communities are witnessing a visible transformation under a sweeping government initiative to clean and rejuvenate over 15,000 village ponds across the state. At a press conference held at Punjab Bhawan in Chandigarh, Rural Development and Panchayats Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond said the campaign, rolled out by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government, is being carried out in a phased, decentralised and community-driven approach across 154 blocks of Punjab.
The effort marks the first time in the state’s history that large-scale pond cleaning is being completed before the monsoon season. According to data shared by the minister, dewatering has already been completed in 3,973 ponds, while work is nearing completion in 6,606 others, with a target date of 30 May 2025.
De-silting has been completed in 1,223 ponds, and is underway in 3,267 more. Additionally, 5,000 Thapar/Seechewal model treatment units are being constructed in Phase I of the 2025–26 financial year, aimed at long-term water purification and sustainability.
Local Sarpanches expressed overwhelming support. Harpreet Kaur and Hardeep Kaur of Boormajra and Khairabad villages in Rupnagar, along with Inderdeep Singh from Sanipur in Fatehgarh Sahib, described the mission as unprecedented, praising both the scale and speed of implementation.
In Boormajra, a 1.5-acre pond is being cleaned thoroughly for the first time. Silt is being repurposed to level village grounds and secure pond boundaries. The Thapar/Seechewal model will be implemented within days.
In Khairabad, a pond unused for over a decade has been revived. The 2,100-strong population has pledged to keep it clean, and farmers are expected to benefit from access to cleaner irrigation water.
In Sanipur, a village of 3,000 residents, 60% of de-silting has been completed after draining out stagnant, mosquito-infested water. Villagers are now actively involved in reclaiming the nutrient-rich silt for farming and playground use.
Minister Sond said the mission reflects “real, on-the-ground development” and affirmed the government’s continued commitment to uplifting rural Punjab.
