SHIMLA: According to a report submitted by the consultation agency hired for the purpose, water transport facility could be provided in 91 km at Bhakra Dam , about 52 km in Kol Dam and 27 km in Chamera. Transport minister Govind Thakur said that detailed project report had been prepared by private agency IT Maritime Private Limited to find out the possibilities of water transportation at the dams Chamba and Bilaspur districts.The government would fully exploit the water transport potential available in Himachal Pradesh, he said. While presiding over a meeting on water transport in Shimla on Thursday, Thakur said that there were immense possibilities of water transport on dams built on different rivers which should be properly exploited to provide transportation facilities to people besides to encourage water sports and transport activities.He asked the officials of the respective departments and the deputy commissioners of different districts to work in coordination so that the project could be given prompt execution. He said that interests of the local people should be kept in mind while preparing the plan and it should also be ensured that they get opportunities of employment and sel-employment.He also directed to explore the possibilities of water transport facility in Pong dam and other rivers and dams in the state. As per the detailed project report, Rs 21.86 crore would be spent on Bhakra Dam, Rs 2.69 crore on Chamera and Rs 1.55 crore for developing water transport facilities on Kol dam.The impacts on the people engaged in fishery activities were also discussed in the meeting and experts from the Water Authority of India said that these transport facilities were made available only from the identified locations and would not effect on the fishery activity.The technical member of the Indian Water Route Authority S K Kang gave detailed information on the water route transportation on this occasion. Director (technical) of the authority A K Mishra gave a detailed presentation on water transport in Bhakra, Chamera and Kol dams.

Stay updated with all the Latest Shimla headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.