Haryana to spend Rs 405 cr on irrigation

Chandigarh, Jan 31 (UNI) The Haryana government will spend a sum of Rs 405 crore for providing irrigation facilities to the farmers of the state by the end of the current financial year as against Rs 189.19 crore during the year 2005-06.

Haryana Revenue Minister Capt Ajay Singh Yadav said that the main priority of the Bhupinder Singh Hooda government was to provide maximum facilities to the farmers so that their economic conditions could be improved.

The Minister said keeping in view the importance of the irrigation needs, the present government had increased the budget for the irrigation department three times as against the previous regime so that the water could be ensured to the tail-end of the fields.

With a view to ensuring equal distribution of water, he said two main canals--BML Hansi-Butana Multipurpose canal and Dadupur-Shahbad Nalvi canal were also being constructed.

He said 70 per cent work on the Hansi-Butana Multi purpose canal had already been completed by incurring a sum of Rs 180 crore so far. This canal would irrigate the land of 16 districts of the state.

Besides, Mewat district and Southern Haryana would be immensely benefitted by commissioning of this canal as 2000 cusecs of water would flow through this canal to Southern Haryana.

Mr Yadav said that with the commissioning of Rs 267 crore Dadupur canal, the water table in Yamuna Nagar, Ambala and Kurukshetra districts would rise up.

The Minister said that with the completion of 375 km long Dadupur-Nalvi canal 590 cusecs of water would be available for irrigating 92,532 acres of land of Ambala, Kurukshetra, Karnal and Yamunanagar districts.

UNI