Chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Saturday visited Doda village in Muktsar district to inspect the site for the proposed 150-km long Malwa canal project and said that it will cater to the irrigational needs of nearly 2 lakh acres in the southern part of the state. Mann said this would be the first ever canal which was being built in the state in the post-Independence era. The state government proposed the canal project in the state budget in March, this year.
“The Malwa Canal being built alongside Rajasthan Feeder and Sirhind Feeder Canals with a budget estimate of ₹ 2,300 crore will provide irrigation water to 2 lakh acres to cater to the irrigational needs of the southern Punjab. This will be the first canal to be constructed post-independence. The canal will be 149km long, 50 feet wide and 12.
6 feet deep. More than 2,000 cusec water will flow in the Malwa canal,” Mann said. He accused the successive state governments of gross negligence which led to over-exploitation of the groundwater.
“As an artist, I used to visit these areas and used to stop at the twin canals. When I enquired I was told the biggest, Rajasthan feeder, has a capacity of 18,000 cusec and no one in Punjab can touch it because of the agreements signed during Nehru’s tenure (former PM Jawahar Lal Nehru). While Sirhind feeder canal belongs to Punjab and 5000 cusec water flows in it,” he said.
“The farmers of the area on Gidderbaha side in Muktsar district have to lift the water through pump.