Sangrur: Tendering process for three canals completed in 4 Assembly segments

Parvesh Sharma

Sangrur, October 6

In a big relief for farmers of 70 villages who didn’t have access to canal water and had been protesting for the past 17 days outside Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s Dhuri office, the state government has completed the tendering process to construct three canals.

Jarnail Singh Jahangir, chief, Nehri Paani Prapati Sangharash Committee, said, “Today, senior officials of the Canal Department handed over the copies of tender process to us. Residents of 70 villages are without canal water since decades.”

Sukhjeet Singh Bhullar, Superintendent Engineer, Canal Department, said, “The tendering process of Rohida, Kanganwal and Kotla canals has been completed. The department is working on Rs 32.68 crore relining project of Longowal canal. Another canal will be constructed from Mahorana bridge.”

The affected villages fall under four Assembly segments, including Malerkotla, Amargarh, Dhuri and Mehal Kalan. Farmers said their villages had come under dark zone due to over exploitation of groundwater.

Bhupinder Singh Longowal of the Kirti Kisan Union, said, “In 1986, the Punjab Government had announced a canal project in area. In 2014, the state government announced to construct three canals but nothing happened on the ground.”