With the objective of promoting farmers’ welfare and strengthening the agricultural sector, Punjab Cabinet Minister Sh. Barinder Kumar Goyal on Thursday inaugurated a lift irrigation scheme at village Oind. The project is expected to prove a significant milestone for villages in Sri Chamkaur Sahib tehsil that have so far remained deprived of canal water and where groundwater levels are continuously declining.
Addressing the inaugural function, the Cabinet Minister said that Sri Chamkaur Sahib is a historic town and despite the presence of major canals such as the Sirhind Canal and the Bhakra Main Line Canal passing through the region, several villages had not been receiving canal irrigation facilities. As a result, small farmers without motor connections were dependent on other landowners for water.
He said that keeping in view the long-pending demand of the people and the government’s target to bring maximum cultivable land under canal irrigation, this lift irrigation scheme has been designed and is being successfully implemented across the state. The initiative will also help farmers move towards self-reliance, he added.
Providing technical details, he informed that under this scheme, water will be lifted from the Samrala Minor system of the Bhakra Main Line Canal near village Oind and transported through a main riser pipe of about 900 mm diameter to a D-Tank proposed at village Gaggon. Thereafter, water supply will be ensured to surrounding villages through four separate distribution schemes.
Sh. Barinder Kumar Goyal further informed that the project entails an expenditure of approximately Rs.44.83 crore and will provide canal irrigation to nearly 4,500 acres of agricultural land and Sri Chamkaur Sahib, Sallomajra, Gaggon, Gadhram Khurd, Gadhram Kalan, Pippalmajra, Rurki, Talapur, Dugri, Kotli, Kamalpur and Rampur Bet among other villages will benefit from the scheme.
The Cabinet Minister said, the project will not only enhance agricultural productivity but also increase farmers’ income, reiterating that the Punjab Government is committed to resolving farmers’ issues and will continue to implement such pro-people initiatives in the future.
MLA Sri Chamkaur Sahib Dr. Charanjit Singh expressed gratitude to the Cabinet Minister for this significant project. Addressing the gathering, he said that under the leadership of Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann, the government has fulfilled its promises to the people and ensured maximum outreach of welfare schemes.
Prominent amongst others who were present included Assistant Commissioner (G) cum SDM Sri Chamkaur Sahib Pradeep Singh Bains, DSP Manjit Singh Aulakh, SE Gagandeep Singh Gill, XEN Gursharan Singh Virk, SDO Kulwinder Singh, Prof. Birdavinder Singh Ballan, NP Rana, Sikandar Singh Saheri, Amandeep Singh Mangat, Harnek Singh Bhura, Jagdev Bhattoa, Amritpal Kaur Nagra, Jagtar Singh Gharuan and other senior officials and dignitaries.