Chandigarh, May 7 Punjab Cabinet Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal on Thursday reviewed the ongoing relining work of the Rajasthan Feeder Canal and directed officials to ensure the timely completion of the project.
He said the canal passes through several villages and towns of Punjab, and its lining had deteriorated considerably due to its nearly six-decade-old structure.
He said repeated breaches in the common bank of the Rajasthan Feeder and Sirhind Feeder canals in the past had posed a constant threat to adjoining areas.
Keeping in view the need to avert such damage, the relining work is being undertaken.
He said the reconstruction work of the Sirhind Feeder Canal has already been completed at Rs 800 crore, and once the relining of the Rajasthan Feeder Canal is finished, adjoining villages and urban areas along both canals will be safeguarded against possible loss of life and property.
He added that the project will also ensure an improved supply of canal water to agricultural fields.
Goyal said that, taking into account the demand raised by social organisations and local farmers of Faridkot, a 12.50-km stretch of the Rajasthan Feeder near Faridkot city is being lined with bricks instead of concrete to facilitate groundwater recharge.
He said that after completion of the relining work, the canal will operate at its full designed capacity and Rajasthan will receive water strictly as per its allocated share.
He added that apart from strengthening the irrigation network, the project will also play a vital role in public safety and groundwater conservation.
The Cabinet minister said the relining work of 80 km of the Rajasthan Feeder Canal had already been completed by 2023, while the remaining portion could not be taken up due to the non-availability of canal closure.
During the canal closure now, the remaining 16.62-km stretch is being relined on a war footing at an estimated cost of nearly Rs 170 crore.
--IANS
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