Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan called on Union Water Resources Minister Harish Rawat in New Delhi today and urged him to approve the pending irrigation projects of the State during the current fiscal.
He said that 13 proposals worth about Rs 700 crore under AIBP during had been sent on the recommendation of the Narmada Development Authority in 2012-13 for approval by the Union Water Resources Ministry.
Chouhan said that irrigation works were being implemented in Narmada basin as per the award of the Narmada Water Tribunal. According to the award, Madhya Pradesh has to use 18.25 MAF water by 2024. This programme cannot succeed without the assistance of AIBP.
Chouhan said that work on the proposed irrigation projects was underway. The works have been entrusted to various agencies. Of these projects, the State government cannot fund Indira Sagar, Omkareshwar, Man, Jobat, Bargi diversion, Punasa lift Irrigation projects, etc from its own resources. Central assistance is necessary for these projects. Chouhan appealed that these projects should be approved in the current fiscal itself. Union Water Resources Minister Rawat assured the Chief Minister that every possible effort would be made to approve various pending schemes of the State during the current fiscal.