Water Resource Minister M.B. Patil fixed a new deadline of 2016 for completion of one of the much delayed major irrigation project which is pending after it was taken up for construction as a drought relief work in 1972-73 at a cost of Rs. 6 crore.
Mr. Patil accompanied by senior officials of the Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigama Ltd (KBJNL) V.P. Huggi and Managing Director of the Karnataka Neeravari Nigama (KNN) R.Rudraiah and others inspected the Bennethora Dam at Heroor K village in Chitapur taluk and also the state of canals and distributaries in both the right and left banks.
During his visit to the Bennethora dam, the Minister said that the KNN has given its consent for taking up the modernisation of the canals and distribution system of the project at a cost of Rs. 150 crore and the state cabinet which is meeting in Kalaburgi city on November 28 is likely to give its formal approval to the decision of the KNN.
Admitting that the project has been unduly delayed due to various reasons, which he does not want to discuss, Mr. Patil said that with the sanctioning of the modernisation project for the Bennethora Dam, all impediments causing the movement of water to the farmers field should be overcome and entire command area of 20,234 hectares in the drought prone 41 villages of Sedam and Chitapur would get the water in their fields by 2016.
Mr. Patil said that out of the total 82 km length of the Right Bank Canal of the project there was no impediments for the movement of water for 30 km and the problem persisted in the free flow of water due to several reasons including seepage and leakage beyond 30 km and similarly in the 60 km length of the Left Bank Canal there was no problem in the movement of water for the first 20 km and the problem persisted beyond 20 km till the end of the canal.
He said in the modernisation proposal all the Shahabad stone lining in the main canal and the distributaries would be replaced with concrete lining to prevent recurring breaches and overcome seepage problem. The Minister said that tenders for the modernisation project would be floated in January and 18 months period would be given for completion of the modernisation of the project. He said that the officials of the water resources department have been given strict instructions to install the telemeters in the canals of all the irrigation projects to measure the exact amount of water released to the farmers’ field.
Mr. Patil told the officials to utilise the available funds in the project and complete the strengthening work of the right bank canal up to 50 km awithin one month. When some of the farmers who met the Minister at the dam site and complained about Field Irrigation canals constructed above the canal level preventing the water from entering the fields, the Minister directed the department officials to take up the land levelling activities in the command area and reconstruct the FICs.
Later, the Minister accompanied by the officials visited the Gandorinala Medium Irrigation Projects and inspected the canals and distributaries.
