15 dams in the offing in state

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 24

To ensure canal water to farmers for irrigation, the state is all set to come up with 15 new dams to be constructed at a cost of Rs 750 crore.

The construction of these dams, to be set up under the Kandi canal project, would be completed within a period of five years.

State Irrigation Minister Sharanjit Singh Dhillon said the state government was committed to providing the facility of irrigation from canal water to farmers of the state. The potential threat to the “kandi” area from floods would also get reduced to a large extent with the coming up of these dams.

As per the plan, Hoshiarpur district will see the construction of seven dams while four dams will be constructed in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, two in Pathankot and one in SAS Nagar (Mohali).

“Each dam will cost Rs 50 crore to the state exchequer,” he said.

The water channels on the sides of the ‘kandi’ area-1 from Talwara to Hoshiarpur (60 km) and kandi area-2 from Hoshiarpur to Balachaur (70 km) were being upgraded at a cost of Rs 4 crore. “These projects will be completed by March 2016,” said Dhillon.

He said earlier, the area under irrigation in the kandi area was only 13,000 hectares and after the completion of the new projects, the areas under irrigation would increase to 24,000 hectares.