The State Government on Tuesday said it would take steps to create irrigation facilities for 10 lakh hectares of land in the next five years. A decision to this effect was taken at a high-level meeting presided over by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the State Secretariat here.
The Chief Minister asked all concerned officials to meet the target within stipulated period of time. A target was set to provide irrigation facilities to 2.08 lakh hectares of land in the current year. Such facilities were created for a total of 1.33 lakh hectares in 2014-15.
Of the current year’s target, 10,000 hectares would be irrigated through mega and medium irrigation projects, 35,000 hectares through Mega lift Irrigation Projects (MlIP) and 1.63 lakh hectares through medium and micro irrigation projects.
The meeting had a threadbare discussion on the status of mega and medium irrigation projects and MlIP. It was revealed that work on 28 projects under the MlIP is underway and will be completed by February, 2016. These projects would facilitate irrigation to 35,450 hectares.
While work on 19 projects is underway, construction work for Indravati MlIP has started. To meet the target, the Government has opened tenders for 55 projects. Similarly, out of the Government’s target to irrigate 4.08 lakh hectares through nine mega and 11 minor irrigation projects, 1.37 lakh hectares have already been irrigated. So far, the Government has set up 57,632 borewell units from 2010-11 to 2014-15 of which 26,338 units have been energised.