The long-awaited pilot exercise to remove silt from selected stretches of the Bhakra Dam reservoir has encountered an initial procedural hurdle. The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) called off the tendering for de-silting at both Luhnoo Ground and Sheer Khadd because applicants did not satisfy essential eligibility criteria.
Sources aware of the developments said the tender for de-silting at Luhnoo Ground in Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh was being withdrawn after the only two bidders were declared non-compliant during technical scrutiny. The two firms — one based in Shimla and the other from Charkhi Dadri in Haryana — did not submit the earnest money deposit (EMD) in the required format, which was compulsory under the tender rules. As neither offer met the conditions, the Tender Evaluation Committee, including executive engineers from the RM & SR Division and Bhakra Dam Division and a senior accounts officer from the budget section, advised rejection of both bids and closure of the process.
Officials said the tender for Sheer Khadd met the same outcome. In that case, a single bidder applied but was unable to provide the necessary paperwork in the correct manner, leading to the cancellation of that tender as well. Sources also suggested that the limited interest from contractors was mainly due to the view that the de-silting work would not be commercially viable. Several potential participants reportedly considered it uneconomical because of the expense involved compared with the worth of the recovered material.
The Luhnoo Ground tender also saw multiple postponements before it was ultimately cancelled. After in-principle clearance was granted in March 2024, BBMB uploaded the tender online on March 2 this year, and initially fixed bid opening for April 2. The date had to be extended twice during April owing to an absence of bids. A corrigendum altering the terms and conditions was issued on April 17, shifting the opening to mid-May, and a further extension eventually resulted in technical bids being opened on June 3.
Manish Kumar, executive engineer, RM-SR Division, said he could not provide specific information as the matter remained under process. However, Mandeep Singh Beniwal, superintending engineer, Bhakra Dam Circle, BBMB, confirmed that both the Luhnoo Ground and Sheer Khadd tender processes were cancelled due to bidder ineligibility, and said fresh tenders would be released shortly. He said bidders are required to submit EMD amounting to 2% of the project value.
BBMB chairman Manoj Tripathi said the re-tendering process for de-silting at Sheer Khad would commence soon. He added that he would verify whether the Luhnoo Ground tenders had been cancelled, as the committee had recommended that course.
This disruption comes amid rising concern over sediment accumulation in the Gobind Sagar reservoir, which supplies the Bhakra Dam, one of north India's key water and power assets. Officials have pointed to an estimated 26% reduction in storage capacity since commissioning, largely due to prolonged silt build-up. BBMB official's estimates place yearly silt inflow at roughly 38–39 million cubic metres, exceeding the 33–34 MCM level anticipated when the reservoir was first filled in 1958.
The rise in silt inflow is linked to construction activity between 2003 and 2015 during the building of the Kol Dam upstream on the Sutlej, and to highway construction activity that began picking up again after 2018. In response to mounting concern, the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti has set up a 10-member high-level committee to oversee the broader de-silting effort, with BBMB undertaking the current exercise as a one-year pilot project focused on accessible silt deposits in the Sutlej near Bilaspur. Under the proposed framework, the extracted material is expected to be put to commercial use — with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) proposed as a key user of the silt and sand for road embankments and earth-filling in ongoing infrastructure projects.
With both Luhnoo Ground and Sheer Khadd now set for re-issue, officials said revised conditions — including possible changes to eligibility requirements and EMD provisions — may be introduced to draw capable bidders, as the pilot is being treated as an important step towards recovering the reservoir's diminished storage capacity.
