Ranchi, July 12: Decks have been cleared to release Subernarekha waters through one of the canals developed under an ambitious multi-purpose irrigation project.
The 127.88km canal, which originates from the left bank of the river in Chandil, Seraikela-Kharsawan, will cover over 30,000 hectare farmland in Jharkhand and Bengal.
Developed as a part of the ambitious Subernarekha Multipurpose Project (SMP), this main canal, which will finally stretch up to 147.88km, along with other distribution channels, will facilitate irrigation in over 65,000 hectares.
SMP chief engineer Virendra Kumar Ram maintained the 127.88km left bank canal was ready for use and was awaiting a formal inauguration. "We have requested water resources minister Chandra Prakash Choudhary to provide us a date for the inaugural ceremony as early as possible," he added.
Minister Choudhary, on the other hand, said that he would prefer his boss chief minister Raghubar Das to do the honours.
"I have already approached the chief minister's secretariat on the issue. The inauguration date will be finalised as soon as we get a word from the chief minister's office," Choudhary added.
Chandil apart, a number of other canals - Galudih, Icha and Kharkai - are being developed under the project.
"We are already giving water to Odisha through Galudih canals, which have already been completed. However, Icha and Kharkai canals need more attention," said an official working on the SMP.
Approved in 1982-83, the project seeks to extend irrigation facilities to 2,31,846 hectares in erstwhile Bihar (now Jharkhand), 95,000 hectares in Odisha and 5,000 hectares in Bengal. The construction was taken up during 1995-96, but it failed to make much headway owing to various reasons.
Finally, after becoming chief minister for the third time in September 2010, Arjun Munda took up the issue with then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who promised all possible help. Subsequently, the project cost was revised to Rs 6,613.74 crore and it was brought under Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP).
However, the funding pattern of AIBP changed in September 2013. "We have not received any financial assistance from the Centre for this project during the last two financial years. Earlier, under AIBP, 90 per cent of the total funds used to come from the Centre. But, under the changed funding pattern, only special category states are entitled to 90 per cent funds, which has been objected to by the Jharkhand government. As a result, the supply of funds from the Centre has been blocked," said a senior official at the department.
However, with the regime change, the state is now expecting that the Centre will soon release Rs 78 crore for the project, which will help speed up the pending work.
