Rs 600-cr proposal to upgrade Ravi main canal submitted

Tribune Reporters

Kathua/Jammu, May 19

The Ravi-Tawi division of irrigation department has submitted a proposal worth Rs 600 crore to the J&K Government for the upgrade of over 40-year-old Ravi main canal which is in shambles.

The proposal was made by the department following the final nod on Shahpur Kandi dam project. The 81.25-km Ravi canal, which starts at dam project site at Basantpur, will intake 1,150 cusecs J&K’s share of water from Punjab to Jammu.

According to official sources, the average life of any canal is around 35 years and the Ravi canal has crossed its lifespan. It needs immediate upgrade, given the future requirements of intake 1,150 cusecs of water.

“All hurdles to the construction work of Shahpur Kandi project work were cleared and the work on this mega project is going on. At present, the canal is totally in shambles. As per the present condition , the canal is not able to intake even half of its share of water,” an official said.

Central assistance of Rs 485.38 crore for the irrigation part would be given in five years from 2018-19 to 2022-23 to implement the project. On completion, the Shahpur dam project would have an irrigation potential of 5,000 hectares in Punjab and 32,173 hectares in Jammu and Kashmir. The project would be implemented by the Punjab and would be completed by June 2022.

‘Farmers not given relief’

Former minister and farmer leader Choudhary Gharu Ram on Sunday alleged that farmers who lost their wheat crop to fire have been denied compensation by the government.

Addressing a press conference in Jammu, All J&K Kissan Congress chairman Choudhary Gharu Ram claimed that the Centre’s Kisan Bima Yojana existed merely on paper and was not being implemented in the state which was hitting the farmers badly.

“The benefits of Kisan credit cards are not reaching the poor farmers and the administration has failed to help cultivators who suffer losses. We appeal to the Governor’s administration to seek report from officials on the issue”, said Gharu Ram.

A former minister in the Congress-PDP government, Gharu Ram said a majority of the canals in the RS Pura sector had not been cleaned for years. He said these canals were lifeline for farmers as they irrigated thousands of hectares of land.

“The government should initiate an inquiry into the misuse of funds meant for cleaning of the canals in Jammu,” he said.

Gharu Ram said the basmati growers in RS Pura were facing losses due to the import of paddy from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

“The present rate of basmati in Jammu is Rs 3,400 per quintal which is lower than the input cost of sowing. The farmers are at the verge of economic ruin as they are not getting proper rates at the end of the kharif season. The import of paddy should be stooped to save the cultivators in J&K,” he said.

Canals not cleaned for years: Ex-minister 

A former minister in the Congress-PDP government, Gharu Ram said a majority of the canals in the RS Pura sector had not been cleaned for years. He said these canals were lifeline of the farmers as they irrigated thousands of  hectares of land.