Haryana govt to strengthen irrigation system

Chandigarh, May 6 (UNI) The Haryana Government has earmarked a sum of Rs 518 crore to strengthen the irrigation system during the current financial year, besides providing a sum of additional Rs 100 crore to execute various projects of the irrigation department.

This was revealed by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda while presiding over the reviewing meeting of the Irrigation Department here today.

While referring to the construction of BML Hansi Butana Multipurpose Canal, he said that 64 per cent work had already been completed and the rest would be completed by October next.

He directed the Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Irrigation Department to chalk out a comprehensive plan for construction of water resources. This plan would be forwarded to the World Bank for seeking loan.

It was informed in the meeting that the work on Dadupur Nalvi canal was also in progress and 552 acres of land had already been acquired for this purposes. The government would pay about Rs 70 crore more to the farmers as the compensation for the land acquired for this canal.

An amount of Rs 53.56 crore had been incurred on the Dadupur canal upto March 31 last. With the commissioning of this canal, Gross Command Area of 1,02,812 hectares would be covered under this canal and Amabala, Yamunanagar and Kurukshetra districts would be benefitted. This canal would be completed by the end of June 2009.

Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Irrigation R N Prashar apprised the Chief Minister that remodeling of Saraswati river was being done so that water could flow through out the year in this river. He said that a distributory would also be constructed near the Saraswati river so that the sewerage water of Kurukshetra and Pehowa could flow thorugh this distributory.

He told the Chief Minister that a sum of Rs 35 crore more was required for desilting and deepening the Ottu lake and construction of Kaushalaya Dam. He said that Kaushalaya Dam bed would be constructed over an area of 17 acres of land.

He said that Irrigation Department had prepared a concept paper on Haryana Water Resources Consolidatation project Phase 2 costing Rs 2047 crore. The project consist of construction of Kharif irrigation groundwater recharge scheme for conserving the rain water and for groundwater recharging, to arrest the dangerous trend of eroding underground water table.

It was informed in the meeting that Irrigation Department had also made a proposal for renovation and restoration of old water bodies like Bibipur Lake, Ottu Lake and Kotla Lake at a total cost of Rs 435.26 crore.

UNI