The Durgawati reservoir at Chenary in Rohtas district. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Patna, Feb. 27: The much-awaited Durgawati reservoir project is likely to start operations in the next six months. The state government has complied with most of the conditions laid down by the Centre for giving the final approval to this project.

The project holds great importance for farmers of Kaimur and Rohtas districts, because the project would provide irrigation facilities to 33,000 hectares of arable land.

At present, these areas which fall in the region known as the ‘rice bowl of the state’ have failed to attain optimum productivity because of lack of irrigation facilities.

Chief secretary Anup Mukerji had recently convened a meeting of senior officials of forests and environment, finance and water resources departments in which issues related to conditions laid down by the Centre were discussed.

While giving stage-I clearance for this project around a year ago, the Centre had laid down certain terms, which were to be met with by the state for getting the final approval.

The first condition was related to the conversion of about 1,200 hectares of non-forest land to forestland as that area of forestland would be put in non-forest use once the project becomes operational.

“During the meeting, it was brought to light that state has already done this work,” a senior state government official, on the condition of anonymity, who took part in the meeting, told The Telegraph.

Another issue dealt with was adding an extra 600 hectares of land to the Kaimur wildlife sanctuary, which is the largest in the state. Of the 1,200 hectares of forestland to be used for project-related work, 600 hectares of land belong to the Kaimur wildlife sanctuary.

“Officials of the forest department told the chief secretary that this condition too had already been met with,” said the official and added the area of Kaimur wildlife sanctuary has increased after 600 hectares was added to it.

He said the only major condition the state has not met yet was the transfer of Rs 314 crore to the state Compensatory Afforestation Management and Planning Authority by the water resources department.

“The participants were told that the water resources department has already deposited Rs 195 crore to the state Compensatory Afforestation Management and Planning Authority and the formalities to transfer the remaining fund were being done,” said the official.

After getting this fund, the state Compensatory Afforestation Management and Planning Authority would put it in fixed deposit and the interest generated from this investment would be used to develop forest and wildlife.

Another condition, which has not yet been met with deals was the demarcation of the area to be used in the project-related work.

“The water resources department officials told the participants that half of this work had already been done and rest of it is underway,” said the official.

He said the water resources department was given a month’s time to fulfil the remaining conditions after which the state nodal officer for Forest (Conservation) Act would send a compliance report on the basis of which the Centre would give the final approval.

Sources in the state government said once the final approval comes from the Centre, the water resources department would not take much time in giving final touches to the project as most of the work related to this project has already been completed and the only major work left is plugging the river mouth at the dam to allow storage of water in the reservoir and its supply to the canal system which would be used for irrigation work.

The Durgawati project was conceptualised in the 1970s and after many hiccups, a major part of this project was completed in 2005. But commissioning of the project was not allowed, as it was completed in violation of the Forest (Protection) Act, 1980 and the Wild (Protection) Act, 1972. Once the matter was taken to the Supreme Court, the court issued certain directives in the light of which the Centre laid down certain conditions for making this project operational.