Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal urged the Union Minister for Water Resources Mr. Harish Chandra Singh Rawat for seeking his personal intervention for expeditious clearance of Rs. 4128.43 crore projects for rehabilitation, extension, renovation and modernization of the canal network in the state that had already submitted for technical clearance to the Central Water Commission (CWC).Disclosing this here today a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office said that Mr. Badal called on the Union Minister for Water Resources at his office on Wednesday evening. Mr. Badal apprised the Union Minister during the meeting that water carrying capacity of existing century old canal network in the state had been reduced considerably by 25% and needed to be revamped immediately to enhance its water carrying capacity as 28% area of the total agricultural land in the state was dependent on the canal water for irrigation purposes.
Expressing concern over the rapidly depleting ground water table in Punjab, Mr. Badal urged the Union Minister to direct the Central Ground Water Board for an early clearance of the comprehensive proposal of Rs.3498.40 crore that had already been submitted by the state government to it. Mr. Badal strongly pleaded to declare the project for replenishment of rapidly depleting ground water in Punjab ‘as national project’ in the larger interest of the country besides safeguarding the interests of the Punjab farmers, who had always contributed enormously to ensure nation’s food security, adding he said this alarming issue must be addressed on the top priority without any further delay.
Taking up the issue of relining of Rajasthan feeder and Sirhind feeder, the Chief Minister impressed upon the Mr. Rawat to immediately release a sum of Rs.89.445 crore and Rs.48.286 crore respectively for these projects besides resorting to the same funding pattern of 90:10 (GoI:State) in case of Punjab too, which had already been adopted earlier for Rajasthan under AIBP as both the states were being fed from the same canal. Presently for Punjab the funding formula was 25:75 (GoI:State) which was highly discriminatory. He further asked Mr. Rawat to provide a onetime grant of Rs.159.68 crore for the relining of Sirhind feeder to enable the government to complete the entire project in one go.Responding positively to the demands put forth by the Chief Minister, Mr. Rawat informed Mr. Badal that the guidelines of 12th plan were yet to be finalized by the Cabinet, adding he said the moment these are cleared in its next meeting on June 15, the Ministry of Water Resources would clear all the pending proposals accordingly. Mr. Rawat also pointed out that the Union Government was mulling to enhance the central share in all the canal projects in future.The Chief Minister was accompanied by his Special Principal Secretaries Mr. KGS Cheema and Mr. Gaggandip Singh Brar.