To provide permanent relief from water-logging and ensure optimum use of canal water, the relining project of Sirhind feeder and Rajasthan feeder would be completed in two years.
Asserting this, Punjab Water Resources Minister Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria said: “Punjab has completed the relining work of 17-km-long section of Sirhind Feeder at a cost of Rs 80.51 crore in Sri Muktsar Sahib, Faridkot and Ferozepur districts.
The remaining work of relining on the canal would be taken up during the planned canal closure from January 18 to February 22, 2021.
The total cost of the relining project would be Rs 671.478 crore.”
Sarkaria said that the relining works of Rajasthan Feeder would also be taken up in two canal closures — 2021-22 and 2022-23 — with proposed length of 47 kms and 49 kms in each year at a cost of Rs 1200 crore.
These projects would prevent water seepage which will resolve the water-logging problem in the south-western districts of the state, besides increasing efficiency of canal irrigation, he added.
Apart from this, the Water Resources Department has spent Rs 30 crore for cleaning of 7,000 kms distributaries or minors during 2020 to provide the water to the tail-end farmers.
Drains in the length of 2020 kms, out of total 8136 kms, were cleaned at a cost of Rs 26 crore and 48 flood protection works were executed at a cost of Rs 24 crore during 2020.
To give benefits to Doaba region, a project of rehabilitation of Bist Doab Canal system at a cost of Rs 462.57 crore was approved and the work is likely to be completed in 2021, he said. The work for distribution system of Kandi Canal Stage-II (Hoshiarpur to Balachaur) was executed during 2019-20, and now it is 90.53 percent completed, said the Minister, adding that after completion, it would provide the irrigation facilities to 29,527 hectares area of 218 villages in districts Hoshiarpur and SBS Nagar.
SPECIAL PROJECTS FOR BETTER IRRIGATION FACILITIES
Sarkaria said that a project for construction of field channels on Kotla Branch Part-II System at a cost of Rs 477.19 crore is in progress and is likely to be completed by March 31, 2022. With the completion of this project, an area of 1,42,658 hectares would be brought under better irrigation facilities.
A project for Installation and Re-energisation of 72 Alternate Deep Tubewells in six blocks of four districts of Punjab at a cost of Rs 30.21 crore, is in progress, and will be completed by March 31, 2021 and would provide assured irrigation to 3,600 hectares on completion, said the Minister.
MINING DEPT TO LAUNCH WEB PORTAL TO ENABLE ONLINE BUYING OF SAND, GRAVEL
Punjab Government is soon coming up with a web portal for online sale of sand and gravel at fixed rates. Announcing, the state Mines and Geology Minister Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria on Tuesday said: “For better monitoring of mining activities, the Department is developing a web portal which will be launched shortly. The portal would enable the consumers to buy sand or gravel online from the mining sites of their choice at the notified rate of Rs nine per cubic feet.”
“Under ease of doing business initiative, the Department has also made provisions for online issuance of various permissions like permits for soil excavation in general as well as for BKOs, and registration of crushers etc,” said the Minister. Sarkaria further said that the State Government has also decided that desilting of rivers is to be allotted to the existing contractors of respective mining blocks.
The drainage wing of Water Resources Department had identified 78 desilting sites in six blocks having 274.22 lakhs MT desilting mining or mineral, he added.
PUNJAB OFFERED RELIEFS TO DEVELOPERS, ALLOTTEES
Punjab Housing and Urban Development Minister Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria on Tuesday claimed that the Department continued its development agenda by accomplishing major housing and development projects across the State during lockdown and COVID pandemic.
“The State Government has formulated a New Land Pooling policy, under which 1000 square yards residential and 200 square yards commercial developed land shall be offered in lieu of one acre land in residential sector and for industrial sectors, 1100 square yards industrial and 200 square yards commercial developed land to be offered in exchange of one acre of land,” he said.
Highlighting the Department’s development works, Sarkaria said that Punjab Government had constructed and handed over 176 (ground-plus-three) EWS flats at Hajimajra village in Patiala, besides acquiring 1100 acres of land at Rajpura, 1000 acres at Ludhiana and 1500 acres PSPCL land for setting-up Industrial parks.
Sarkaria said that the Department also offered various reliefs to developers and allottees in view of COVID-19 pandemic which included extension of construction period, interest waiver for auctioned properties, rescheduling of some installments, besides halving the non construction fee all over Punjab to lessen burden on allottees.