Punjab clears authority to turn Ranjit Sagar dam area into eco-tourism hub

Punjab's Cabinet, meeting under Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Monday, 5 October 2026, approved the Ranjitgarh Development Authority Bill, 2026. The proposed law would set up a dedicated statutory body to plan and run tourism-led development in the areas around the Ranjit Sagar and Shahpur Kandi dams, in the state's far north near the point where Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir meet. The state government has framed the project around eco-tourism and planned, sustainable growth rather than unregulated construction. The bill still has to pass the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, where it is expected to be tabled in the winter session.

Punjab is better known to travellers for Amritsar's Golden Temple and the Wagah-Attari border ceremony than for lakes and hills. The Ranjit Sagar reservoir, set against the Shivalik foothills at a three-state junction, is one of the few places in the state with the kind of landscape that suits water sports, nature stays and slow, outdoor travel. The idea of turning it into a tourism destination is not new: the proposal has moved through at least three state governments over roughly a decade without taking off.

Earlier attempts to invite private developers struggled to find takers. Bidding rounds did not deliver the expected results, largely because the area lacked basic services such as water supply, sewerage and electricity. Investors are unlikely to build hotels or adventure facilities where the groundwork is missing, and no single department has had the mandate to fix all of it at once.

That is the gap the new authority is meant to fill. Instead of tourism, irrigation, power, forests and local bodies each handling a piece, one statutory body would control land, approve and carry out projects, and manage the destination once it is open. Placing the Chief Minister at its head and the Chief Secretary in charge of daily coordination signals that the government wants decisions to move faster than they have in the past.

The eco-tourism framing also matters. Reservoir areas in the hills are sensitive, and fast, unplanned building around lakes elsewhere in India has caused crowding, waste and damage to water bodies. A single planning authority could, in principle, set limits on what gets built and where, though those rules have not yet been made public.

Short-term: Nothing changes on the ground yet for visitors. The bill must first be passed by the Assembly, after which the authority has to be formed, staffed and given its land and budget. Travellers should not expect new facilities at the reservoir this winter.

Long-term: If the authority works as intended, the area could become a planned destination for water sports, eco-stays and hospitality, giving Punjab a hill-and-lake product to sit alongside its religious and heritage circuits. It could also spread tourist traffic beyond Amritsar into the state's northern districts.

Who is affected: Residents and landholders near the two dams, whose land use will come under the new authority; local youth and small businesses who could gain jobs in guiding, boating and homestays; private hospitality investors; and travellers from Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir looking for short nature trips.

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