Canal system approved alongside Ujh in J&K, says Jitendra Singh
Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday announced approval for a canal system alongside the Ujh multipurpose project in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district to check uncontrolled water flow to Pakistan. He also informed that the centre has allocated over Rs 1,400 crore for the Union Territory to mitigate damage to public property and other infrastructure during last year’s floods.
The Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s office was speaking at a review meeting in Kathua district, part of his Udhampur parliamentary constituency, with the district administration on the developmental projects.
Singh said a canal system on the Ujh River has been approved to check infiltration and harness the uncontrolled flow of water towards Pakistan, with the proposal cleared by the Ministries of Defence and Home Affairs.
He announced that over Rs 1,400 crore has been allocated for Jammu and Kashmir, including Rs 10 crore for temporary repairs in Kathua, and minimal more than Rs 2 crore for each of the damaged public assets and structures, subject to assessment by the district administration.
He said funds for the restoration of permanent infrastructure would be provided by the respective departments.
The minister also held a public durbar at Kathua and pointed out that long-pending projects such as the Ujh Multipurpose Project and the Shahpur Kandi Dam, which had remained stalled for decades due to politics of discrimination, were revived after Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office.
He said these projects would not only contribute to regional development but also ensure effective utilisation of India’s rightful share of water resources that continue to flow unutilised to Pakistan.
