The Ranjit Sagar Dam, also known as the Thein Dam, is part of a hydroelectric project constructed by the Punjab Irrigation Department on the

Ravi River The Ravi River () is a transboundary river crossing northwestern India and eastern Pakistan. It is one of five rivers associated with the Punjab region. Under the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, the waters of the Ravi and two other rivers were ...

on the border of Union Territory, Jammu and Kashmir and state

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

. It is located upstream of the Madhopur Barrage at Madhopur. A large portion, up to 60%, of the reservoir falls within Jammu and Kashmir. The dam is around and equidistant 30 km from both

Pathankot Pathankot is a city and the district headquarters of the Pathankot district in Punjab, India. Pathankot is the 6th most populous city of Punjab, after Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Patiala and Bathinda. Its local government is a municipal cor ...

in the state of Punjab and

Kathua Kathua is a city and municipal council located in Kathua district of Jammu Division of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, near its border with Punjab, India and Himachal Pradesh. The city is headquarters of Kathua district and is ...

in Jammu and Kashmir. The project is used for both irrigation and power generation. The project is the largest

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

dam in Punjab with a capacity of 600 megawatts. Also, the dam is amongst the highest earth-fill dams in India and has the largest diameter

penstock A penstock is a sluice or gate or intake structure that controls water flow, or an enclosed pipe that delivers water to hydro turbines and sewerage systems. The term is inherited from the earlier technology of mill ponds and watermills. H ...

pipes in the country. The township where the site is located is called

Shah pur Kandi Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...

Township. Feasibility studies for the project began in 1953 and geotechnical studies continued until 1980. Construction began in 1981, the generators were commissioned in 2000 and the project complete in March 2001. There have been several issues and claims between the governments of Jammu and Kashmir and of Punjab over the usage of water, electricity, employment, compensation to the locals and land acquisition. On 12 May 2017 Government of Jammu and Kashmir raised these issues in the Northern Zonal Council Meeting held in Chandigarh; following which the Ministry of Home Affairs, GOI mandated the construction of barrages that will allow both states equal rights over the dam. The proposed barrages will help Jammu and Kashmir irrigate Samba and Kathua districts. The Government of Punjab had also agreed to share electricity produced through the project but previous claims of Jammu and Kashmir remained unsettled and a resolution is pending. In 2017, the Government of Jammu and Kashmir claimed 8000 crores from fhs Government of Punjab as losses.

References

Hydroelectric power stations in Punjab, India Dams in Punjab, India Earth-filled dams Gurdaspur district Dams completed in 2001 Dams on the Ravi River Pathankot district Buildings and structures in Gurdaspur district 2001 establishments in Punjab, India {{India-powerstation-stub