The Punjab government Monday decided to carry out desilting operations at 85 sites in Ravi and Sutlej rivers, the move coming a fortnight after Punjab and Haryana High Court allowed the state to carry out the operation to combat floods. The government estimates the deposits at 190 crore cubic feet, worth Rs 840 crore and will soon be floating tenders.

Now, the government wants to carry out the desilting operations quickly lest the issue is caught in another legal tangle. The issue was discussed in two meetings on Monday — in a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and another chaired by Chief Secretary KAP Sinha. While Sinha’s meeting, in the morning gave approval to the decision on desilting at 85 sites, the Cabinet allowed the department of mines and geology to reduc

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