Shahpur Kandi project was meant to be a turning point for irrigation-starved areas of Kandi belt in Jammu. Instead, it has turned into a case study of delays, and a canal system that exists more on paper than on the ground. JAMMU: The must awaited and prestigious Shahpur Kandi project, conceived decades ago on the Ravi river, has travelled a long and shaky road. Initially envisioned in 1970s to harness Ravi waters for irrigation and power generation, the project remained stuck for years due to disputes between Punjab and the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state. A renewed push came only in 2018, when the two states, with the Centre’s intervention, signed an agreement to revive and complete the long- pending project.
Work on the dam and power components gathered pace under Prime Minister Narendra Modi led Government in Centre, particularly after Jammu and Kashmir was reorganised into a Union Territory in 2019. The Centre extended financial support and pushed Punjab to fast-track construction. Despite disruptions caused by the pandemic and terrain-related challenges, the Punjab government managed to complete its share of the project, including the dam structure and hydropower components, within a defined timeline. On the Jammu and Kashmir side, however, the story has been markedly different. From the very beginning, canal-related works in J&K faced repeated hiccups—revised alignments, delayed tenders, land acquisition issues and routine bureaucratic reshuffling. Each delay was explained away as a “technical issue”, a “procedural requirement” or a “coordination challenge”. Inter-government coordination between Punjab and J&K has also remained less than seamless. While Punjab moved ahead with dam construction, officials in Irrigation and Flood Control Department, J&K, appeared stuck in file work for the last more than a year after National Conference led Government came to power in October 2024. Interestingly, meetings were held, minutes were drafted, and assurances were issued, but progress on the ground remained painfully slow. Ironically, the most complex part, the dam itself, was completed faster than the supposedly simpler task of strengthening canals. Under the inter-state agreement, Jammu and Kashmir is entitled to a share of 1,150 cusecs of water from the Ravi river through the Shahpur Kandi project. This water was projected to provide irrigation to 32,173 hectares of land across Kathua and Samba districts, transforming the largely rain- dependent Kandi belt into a productive agricultural zone. For farmers in these districts, the project promised more than water. It meant crop diversification, improved yields, reduced migration and long-term economic stability. For years, Shahpur Kandi was sold as the answer to chronic water stress in the region. Yet, with the dam now ready on the Punjab side, the irrigation promise remains unfulfilled. Despite the project’s completion upstream, the Irrigation and Flood Control Department of the J&K government has failed to strengthen, modernise and upgrade the existing canal system to handle the Ravi waters efficiently. The canal network, stretching nearly 79.8 kilometres from Kathua to Vijaypur in Samba district, was supposed to be prepared well before water release. Instead, sources informed that the system is still struggling to find its footing.
According to officials familiar with the matter, “only 150 cusecs of water was released on an experimental basis in September 2025”. Even this limited discharge managed to reach only parts of Kathua district, falling far short of the intended command area. The remaining stretch towards Samba remains largely dry, exposing the fragile condition of the canals. For a project designed to carry over a thousand cusecs, releasing barely one-eighth of the sanctioned water appears less like a test and more like a reality check. Sources within the Irrigation and Flood Control Department, speaking on condition of anonymity, admit that the existing canal system is simply not capable of handling the full water load. Many sections are outdated, poorly lined, prone to seepage and vulnerable to breaches. “Even if more water is released, the system will not sustain it,” one official said. “It may take more than a year, perhaps longer, before water reaches the endpoint at Samba district”, they added. This admission raises a troubling question on part on J&K Government as to why was the canal network was not upgraded in parallel with dam construction?
The delay has taken place under the watch of the National Conference-led government headed by Omar Abdullah. Critics argue that there is little visible urgency from the political leadership to push the project to completion, despite its long history of delays and its direct impact on farmers. The contrast is stark. The Centre-led government under PM Modi invested political and financial capital to revive Shahpur Kandi, while the last-mile delivery remains mired in administrative inertia. The canal system managed by the Irrigation and Flood Control Department appears ill-prepared to distribute Ravi waters across the Kandi belt. Instead of acting as a lifeline, it risks becoming a bottleneck. The real cost of this delay is being paid by farmers in Kathua and Samba. With each passing season, expectations rise and then collapse. Fields that were meant to receive assured irrigation continue to depend on erratic rainfall. Cropping plans are postponed, investments are withheld and confidence erodes. For villagers who have heard about Shahpur Kandi for decades, the sight of water stopping midway feels like a cruel reminder that promises often evaporate before reaching the ground. There is a growing sentiment on the ground that patience is running out. The people of Kathua and Samba are the major sufferers of this prolonged delay, and their frustration is steadily mounting. If the canal network is not completed and operationalised in a time-bound manner, the political cost may be significant. Development delayed is not just development denied—it is also trust lost. The Shahpur Kandi project was meant to rewrite the irrigation story of Kandi belt in Jammu. Instead, it now risks becoming a symbol of how grand projects stumble at the final hurdle. The question is whether the J&K Government will wake up in time or whether this too will be left flowing only in files and speeches.
