Getting irrigation water for paddy gets tougher

Pradeep Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 18

The new rice shoot policy 2018 for the upcoming kharif season has restricted the use of canal water for paddy transplantation.

In fact, getting the rice shoots — temporary openings on water channels for paddy crop — will be difficult with the Haryana Government putting in place stricter norms under the new policy.

Under the new policy, no rice shoots will be allowed on any main line, branch line or feeder channel as the state government has decided that no outlets would be provided on these channels.

The policy prescribed that only 10 per cent of authorised discharge would be made available for rice shoots in the Bhakra Command System, while a maximum of 25 per cent additional discharge would be allowed for the Western Yaumna Canal System.

“There will be no shortage of water at the tail when temporary rice shoots are sanctioned. Similarly, rice shoots will not be given on those channels where tails did not get proper and authorised irrigation during the past two years,” the policy said.

Similarly, no rice shoots will be allowed to persons found guilty of unauthorised irrigation in the past five years. Besides, the minimum area for a rice shoot will be 20 acres, out of which 25 per cent of the area has to be grown with a crop other than rice.

“The department concerned will not recommend rice shoot where ‘sathi’ paddy (60-day crop) is sown in the canal irrigation area. The rice shoots already in operation will be cancelled as the state government has already banned sowing of ‘sathi’ paddy,” the policy added.