Photo Source: Babushahi Bureau
Punjab Minister Barinder Goyal refutes Union Agri Minister’s remarks, stresses floods triggered by heavy rain, not illegal mining
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, September 6, 2025: Punjab Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal on Saturday strongly rebutted Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan’s statement linking the recent floods in Punjab to illegal mining, calling the allegations baseless, misleading, and illogical.
Addressing a press conference in Chandigarh, Goyal said the floods were the result of record-breaking rainfall and unprecedented inflow of water into rivers, not mining activities. “The present focus must remain on relief and rehabilitation of affected families instead of political blame games,” he asserted.
The Minister noted that the River Ravi witnessed a discharge of 14.11 lakh cusecs this year, far surpassing the 11.2 lakh cusecs recorded during the devastating 1988 floods. He added that strengthening works worth over ₹200 crore undertaken in the past two years ensured that embankments remained intact, with no breaches reported along government-controlled bundhs of River Beas.
Clarifying Punjab’s regulatory framework, Goyal stated:
- Mining is banned within 5 km of the international border on River Ravi due to Army and BSF restrictions.
- River Beas is a designated “Conservation Reserve,” where mining is prohibited.
- No mining takes place in River Ghaggar, while in River Sutlej, operations are allowed only under approved mine plans with mandatory SEIAA environmental clearance.
- Mining is not permitted within 100 meters of flood protection embankments.
“Regulated mining does not endanger river embankments,” the Minister emphasized.
Pointing to the extraordinary rainfall, he said that on August 25 alone, Chamba recorded 1205% above normal rainfall, Kangra 275%, and Pathankot 820%, underscoring that natural forces, not human activity, caused the floods.
Goyal also criticized the Centre’s delays in clearing Punjab’s flood-protection proposals, despite repeated requests from the Chief Minister and Chief Secretary. He said Punjab spends crores annually to safeguard BSF and army outposts in national interest, yet nine out of 28 projects approved in principle by NDMA are still pending, with no funds released.
The Minister accused the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) of discriminatory practices, highlighting that Punjab demanded 29,500 cusecs of irrigation water in June, but was allocated only 21,000 cusecs during paddy sowing season, leading to reduced storage capacity in dams during heavy rains.
He further pressed for the long-pending Makaura Pattan Barrage project on River Ravi, which would harness water for irrigation, drinking purposes, and groundwater recharge in border areas.
Reiterating that this year’s floods were due to massive rainfall across Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, and inflows from Pakistan, Goyal said damages were minimized thanks to the Punjab government’s timely strengthening of embankments.
Prominent officials including Chief Engineer (Drainage) Hardeep Singh Mendiratta and Chief Engineer (Headquarters) Jitender Pal Singh were present at the press conference.