Punjab Water Resources and Soil & Water Conservation Minister Sh. Barinder Kumar Goyal today inaugurated irrigation projects worth around Rs.57.01 crore at village Khant Manpur in the Bassi Pathana Assembly Constituency. The projects will provide major boost to irrigation facilities and directly benefit farmers across 173 villages. The Cabinet Minister was accompanied by Bassi Pathana MLA S. Rupinder Singh Happy.
Addressing gathering after inaugurating the projects, Cabinet Minister Sh. Barinder Kumar Goyal said these irrigation projects would ensure the supply of canal water to farmers' fields. He said Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann led government is committed to maximising the use of canal water and checking the alarming decline in groundwater levels across the state.
He informed that before the strengthening of the minors, canal water was available to nearly 24,000 acres, whereas the coverage has now increased to more than 37,000 acres with canal water reaching directly to farmers' fields. The state government's sustained efforts to expand canal irrigation have yielded encouraging results in conserving the rapidly depleting groundwater resources, he added.
The Cabinet Minister said that with the completion of 82.76 kilometres of distributary minors, 58.85 kilometres of pipeline works and watercourses under the Bassi, Sirhind, Kheri, Bhamian, Kotla and Gobindgarh, there will be significant savings in both water and electricity. At the same time, farmers' dependence on tubewells will reduce considerably and the overall cost of irrigation will come down.
Sh. Barinder Kumar Goyal said, "previous governments merely politicised the issue of water and failed to safeguard Punjab's rightful share of water resources. Our government has not only taken firm measures to protect the state's waters but has also strengthened the canal infrastructure to provide farmers with reliable and sustainable irrigation facilities for the long term."
Earlier, Bassi Pathana MLA S. Rupinder Singh Happy said that Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann led government is giving top priority to farmers' welfare and overall public development. He said sustained efforts are being made to modernise the canal network so that canal water reaches every field.
He added that these projects would fulfil a long-pending demand of farmers while enhancing agricultural productivity and increasing farm income. He further said every possible effort is being made to accelerate development works across the constituency so that villages under Bassi Pathana are equipped with civic amenities comparable to urban areas.