Chandigarh, March 24:
Punjab Water Resources Minister Mr. Barindar Kumar Goyal, on Monday, informed the Punjab Vidhan Sabha that efforts are being made on a war footing to provide canal water for irrigation to 75 villages in Nurpur Bedi block of Ropar district and action will soon be taken in this regard.
In response to a question raised by MLA from Ropar Mr. Dinesh Kumar Chadha, about the status of the feasibility study for providing canal water for irrigation to 75 villages in Ropar district, the Cabinet Minister said that Expressions of Interest (EOI) proposals have been submitted by two agencies, which are under review by a committee of senior officials for final decision. Necessary action will be taken according to technical feasibility and availability of funds after which it will be sent to the Central Water Commission for further approval, he informed.
Sh. Barindar Kumar Goyal said that expression of interest notices were floated twice to examine the feasibility of the project. Two agencies participated in this earlier process. However, when the agencies were asked to provide detailed information about the project, they failed to give an appropriate response. The EOI had to be cancelled and subsequently reissued, to which again two agencies applied.
The Cabinet Minister said that this area is mountainous and surrounded by natural streams. Due to its elevated position, it is not possible to provide irrigation water through the canal system. Therefore, an EOI was floated to determine the project’s overall impact and how water could be delivered to this area. He said that there are three potential sources through which water can be reached to this region. The first is to take water from Nangal Dam through a pipe network or by lifting water from the dam. The second method is to draw water from the Swan River and store it, but the difficulty is that the Swan River flows only during the monsoon and there is no water after three to four months. The third approach is to collect water from Sri Anandpur Sahib Hydel Channel through silos or overhead service reservoirs and deliver it to the area through lifting. He said that the EOI tender was floated to select the best method from these options.
The Water Resources Minister informed that the project reports from the agencies are under review by a committee of Superintending Engineers (SEs) for final decision. The SEs will conduct a complete study and after checking its feasibility, it will be sent to the Central Water Commission for further action, he added.
