Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
The 88th meeting of the regulatory board of the Godavari Marathwada Irrigation Development Corporation (GMIDC) was held at Sinchan Bhavan on Friday (October 17), under the chairmanship of state’s Water Resources Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil. In this meeting, a resolution was approved for an expenditure of ₹6,477 crore for Phase II of the Jayakwadi Project.
This resolution will now be sent directly to the state cabinet for final approval. Once the cabinet approves it, the remaining work on the Majalgaon Right Canal will be completed.
Speaking about the meeting, GMIDC executive director, Santosh Tirmanwar, said that the 88th board meeting was held under the leadership of the Water Resources minister and several resolutions were passed after discussion on various matters. The proposal of ₹6,477 crore for Jayakwadi Phase II was approved. The Majalgaon Right Canal is 123 kilometers long. Out of this, lining work for 101 km has been completed, and the remaining work is in progress.
Besides, five village reservoirs are being constructed. Of these, two reservoirs in Loha and Gangakhed tehsils are already under construction, while land acquisition for the remaining three is underway. A decision was also taken in the meeting to grant revised administrative approval for an expenditure of ₹400 crore for the Salimba Lift Irrigation Scheme, which will bring 5,000 hectares of land under irrigation.
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Canal water carrying capacity to manifold
Currently, the Majalgaon Right Canal can carry only 900 cusecs of water. After the lining work is completed, the canal’s capacity will increase to 2,100 cusecs, said executive director Tirmanwar.