Allocate funds for rejuvenation of canal system: Mann to Shekhawat

Mann, who called on Shekhawat at his office in Delhi, underlined the need for special package to strengthen and repair the existing canal system in the state

Chandigarh: Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday sought kind intervention of Union jal shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat to allocate special funds for rejuvenation of canal system in the state.

Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday sought kind intervention of Union jal shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat to allocate special funds for rejuvenation of canal system in the state.

Mann, who called on Shekhawat at his office in Delhi, underlined the need for special package to strengthen and repair the existing canal system in the state. He said that Upper Bari Doab Canal (UBDC) that was constructed in pre- Independence era is in dire straits now due to which farmers are facing a lot of problems. He apprised the Union minister that even the canals constructed after the independence needs to be strengthened and upgraded for which the Union government must allocate special package to the state, according to an official release.

The CM said that it is the need of hour as the food growers of the state, who have played a key role in making country self reliant in food production, have to face lot of problems due to dilapidated canal system in the state. He sought the Union minister’s intervention for clearing the proposals submitted by the state government in this regard. Mann said that it will help in enhancing the water carrying capacity of canals and benefit the farmers of the state.

The chief minister also said that the state government has started an ambitious project of cleaning of Buddha Nullah, a seasonal tributary of River Sutlej, which runs almost parallel to the river through Ludhiana district and ultimately merges with the River. Mann said that the state government has embarked a project worth ₹850 crore for cleaning of this nullah.

Likewise, the CM said that the state government is also releasing 200 cusecs of fresh water in Buddha Nullah. He informed the Union Minister that 54% of this project has been completed and it will be accomplished by March 2023 and urged the central government to help the state government in this project by introducing new technologies.

Shekhawat said that the Union government will look into the matter. Mann was accompanied by his additional chief secretary A Venuprasad, special principal secretary Ravi Bhagat and others.