Strengthen canal berms, farmers urge Punjab CM

Our Correspondent

Abohar, June 13

The Kisan Sangharsh Samiti has urged Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh to order strengthening of Ferozepur Feeder Canal berms (side lanes) to prevent breaches. The canal also supplies water to West Rajasthan areas.

The Feeder canal, which emanates from the Harike headworks, has a capacity of 11,192 cusecs and was constructed in 1952-53. It runs to a length of about 51.30 km for supply of Ravi-Beas waters to two distributary systems (Mayawah and Sodhinagar), having a combined discharge of 309 cusecs. The Sirhind feeder off-taking from the Ferozepur feeder was constructed during 1954-55 and runs to a length of about 136.5 km. It has an authorised capacity of 5,264 cusecs, having a cultivable command area of 3.6 lakh hectares. Experts, in their report to the state government, had stated that the life of the Ferozepur Feeder canal was limited to 50 years. Its sidewalls and bed had collapsed at several places and leakage caused waterlogging in Punjab.

After visiting the feeder, Samiti spokesman Subhash Sehgal and vice president Amar Singh Bishnoi said in a memorandum sent to the CM, the farmers’ body alleged that some people were engaged in setting up tube wells in violation of the rules related to the protected lane on both sides of the Ferozepur feeder.