delhione
August 13th, 2010, 12:47 PM
In my previous thread about Ch. Saab's legendary legal work some of the members were curios to know his contribution in making of Bhakhra Dam Project. The commenting members were right, The Bhakhra Dam Project was Ch. Sir Chhotu Ram’s brainchild; and perhaps, on 08.01.1945 (just a day before his death) Ch. Saab put his signature on behalf of then Punjab Government giving final approval to Bhakhra Dam Project. This final approval was the outcome of almost twenty years of his hardship to make this Dam project a reality.
In pre independence period irrigation through canal system was the only source to irrigate fields in case of monsoon failure and for supplying water to fields for the rest of year apart from rainy season. In the districts of then South-East Punjab e.g. the Districts of Hissar, Gurgaon and Rohtak used to be majorly famine/ draught affected areas. In a single famine during year 1900, in the Ambala division alone almost 12,43,000 cattles died; of them almost 4,48,000 cattles died in Hissar District alone. In those days, in case of repeated monsoon failure and in absence of any canal irrigation facility the cropless farmers/ peasants used to live at the mercy of Moneylenders/ Mahajans and hungry Cattles at the mercy of God. Ch. Saab wanted to cure this vicious disease completely, so for the welfare of these poor draught affected and debt ridden farmers / peasants he championed for this biggest Dam project of those days, and untiringly worked for almost twenty two years continuously for its final blue prints, fund allocation and final approval.
This Dam derives its name from village Bhakhra situated in the erstwhile state of Bilaspur. Actually there was a lake covering almost 80 square miles, surrounded by massive mountains, and the aperture through which the water used to come down (river Sutlej) to this lake was a narrow passage of about 200-300 yards . Initially it was planned to block this passage and to use the stored water for the irrigation of then South-Eastern Belt of Punjab. The first enquiry about the feasibility of making a Dam at this site started in year 1915 by the Punjab Govt. to provide irrigation facility to the dry tract of Hissar, Rohtak and Karnal districts as a reward for their support to British Govt. in WW-I. In year 1919 the cost estimation and the target areas were drafted. The height of this Dam was proposed to be 400 feet and a target area of almost 25 lakh acres was estimated to be directly benefited from this Dam Project. Perhaps, then Lt. Governor, Sir Michael O’DWYER gave assurance for early implementation of the Dam Project at Rohtak in a Durbar held in his honor in the year 1919. But nothing happened till 1924, so Ch. Saab opened the Dam project Files again, motivated farmers to give representations to the Govt. for the expeditious implementation of the Project and moved repeated resolutions in the assembly for the clearing the impediments coming in way of making of this dream Dam. By his strong efforts the Govt. had to send one special officer, Mr. Nicholson, to USA to study the working of Dams made on similar pattern, he came back with an acclaimed American Dam expert Mr. Wiley, and after American Dam expert’s careful study the height of the Dam was proposed to raise to 500 feet instead of earlier 400 feet. The new proposition from the American expert was a cheerful and happy news for farmers; because there was substantial increase in the target irrigation area from 60 lakh acres to almost double one Crore twenty lakh acres. But this happy news of anticipated prosperity subsided soon when objections to this dam project from Government of Bombay, ruler of Bilaspur and the Punjab state started and also the Provincial and Central Govt. gradually cornered this Dam Project. Thereafter, It took almost 20 years for Ch. Sir Chhotu Ram to make all the objecting parties to arrive at a consensus, to motivate the non-agriculturalist-bakers to provide loan for this Dam project.
Ch. Saab was so keen for making this dream project a reality that he used to take on task/ criticize any and every impediment very fearlessly; once Revenue Member Sir. Fazl-i-Hussain remarked “Chaudhary Saab had been so persistently insisting on the implementation of Bhakhra Dam Scheme that he was daring to the extent of annoying us (The Government)”.
In pre independence period irrigation through canal system was the only source to irrigate fields in case of monsoon failure and for supplying water to fields for the rest of year apart from rainy season. In the districts of then South-East Punjab e.g. the Districts of Hissar, Gurgaon and Rohtak used to be majorly famine/ draught affected areas. In a single famine during year 1900, in the Ambala division alone almost 12,43,000 cattles died; of them almost 4,48,000 cattles died in Hissar District alone. In those days, in case of repeated monsoon failure and in absence of any canal irrigation facility the cropless farmers/ peasants used to live at the mercy of Moneylenders/ Mahajans and hungry Cattles at the mercy of God. Ch. Saab wanted to cure this vicious disease completely, so for the welfare of these poor draught affected and debt ridden farmers / peasants he championed for this biggest Dam project of those days, and untiringly worked for almost twenty two years continuously for its final blue prints, fund allocation and final approval.
This Dam derives its name from village Bhakhra situated in the erstwhile state of Bilaspur. Actually there was a lake covering almost 80 square miles, surrounded by massive mountains, and the aperture through which the water used to come down (river Sutlej) to this lake was a narrow passage of about 200-300 yards . Initially it was planned to block this passage and to use the stored water for the irrigation of then South-Eastern Belt of Punjab. The first enquiry about the feasibility of making a Dam at this site started in year 1915 by the Punjab Govt. to provide irrigation facility to the dry tract of Hissar, Rohtak and Karnal districts as a reward for their support to British Govt. in WW-I. In year 1919 the cost estimation and the target areas were drafted. The height of this Dam was proposed to be 400 feet and a target area of almost 25 lakh acres was estimated to be directly benefited from this Dam Project. Perhaps, then Lt. Governor, Sir Michael O’DWYER gave assurance for early implementation of the Dam Project at Rohtak in a Durbar held in his honor in the year 1919. But nothing happened till 1924, so Ch. Saab opened the Dam project Files again, motivated farmers to give representations to the Govt. for the expeditious implementation of the Project and moved repeated resolutions in the assembly for the clearing the impediments coming in way of making of this dream Dam. By his strong efforts the Govt. had to send one special officer, Mr. Nicholson, to USA to study the working of Dams made on similar pattern, he came back with an acclaimed American Dam expert Mr. Wiley, and after American Dam expert’s careful study the height of the Dam was proposed to raise to 500 feet instead of earlier 400 feet. The new proposition from the American expert was a cheerful and happy news for farmers; because there was substantial increase in the target irrigation area from 60 lakh acres to almost double one Crore twenty lakh acres. But this happy news of anticipated prosperity subsided soon when objections to this dam project from Government of Bombay, ruler of Bilaspur and the Punjab state started and also the Provincial and Central Govt. gradually cornered this Dam Project. Thereafter, It took almost 20 years for Ch. Sir Chhotu Ram to make all the objecting parties to arrive at a consensus, to motivate the non-agriculturalist-bakers to provide loan for this Dam project.
Ch. Saab was so keen for making this dream project a reality that he used to take on task/ criticize any and every impediment very fearlessly; once Revenue Member Sir. Fazl-i-Hussain remarked “Chaudhary Saab had been so persistently insisting on the implementation of Bhakhra Dam Scheme that he was daring to the extent of annoying us (The Government)”.