Punjab govt ready to review Kandi Canal Project on technical grounds

Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], July 5 (ANI): The Punjab Government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, is ready to evaluate the Kandi Canal (Talwara-Balachaur) Project on technical parameters.
Members of farmers’ organizations today called on Cabinet Minister Bram Shanker Jimpa regarding some issues related to the construction of the Kandi Canal (Talwara-Balachaur) Project to provide irrigation facilities to the Barani area of Kandi, informed the State Information and Public Relations Department on Tuesday.
Assuring that the demand of the farmers would be considered on technical grounds, Cabinet Minister Bram Shanker Jimpa, in the presence of MLA Tanda Jasbir Singh Raja Gill, said that it was the priority of the Punjab Government to address the issues related to Punjab keeping in view of public interest. He said that Kandi Canal originates from Mukerian Hydel Channel to Balachaur along with hills. This canal was constructed in two phases to provide irrigation facilities to Barani fields of the Kandi area.
He said that this canal covers 19,867 hectares of 215 villages in the Hoshiarpur district and provides irrigation facilities.
According to a statement issued by the Punjab Information and Public Relations Department, the Cabinet Minister said, “Kandi Canal Stage-2 stretch is around 60 to 130 km, which has been constructed from Hoshiarpur to Balachaur. The canal irrigates 16,270 hectares of Barani Area in 146 villages of Hoshiarpur district and 13,257 hectares of Barani Area in 72 villages of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district.”
Divulging further, the Minister said that the lining of Kandi Stage-1 had been damaged with the passage of time so the department decided to lay a new concrete lining with HDEP Film replacing the old structure. He said that the work of stage 1 of concrete relining of Kandi canal was completed by R.D.-0 to about 32 kms and remaining work from RD 32 to 47 Km is underway.
Notably, this work has been ceased by the residents of the adjoining villages; they were demanding that concrete lining should not be done on the beds of the canal. They are demanding that the thought of the HDEP Film lining should be dropped as this may cause environmental issues like stoppage of water recharging which will further deplete the groundwater graph. They said that the lining would lead to further aggregate the problem of water shortage in the villages.
The Minister said that besides human beings, all sectors, be it agriculture or industry, need water, thus our government would take decisions after considering the new as well as old projects at the technical level and will pay special attention to the needs and interests of the area/regions. (ANI)