State wants Shahpur Kandi Dam project fast-tracked

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 8

Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh today asked the Centre to bring the Shahpur Kandi Dam project under the “fast track priority” category, maintaining the existing Centre-State funding pattern in the ratio of 90:10.

Capt Amarinder, who met Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Shipping and Water Resources Nitin Gadkari here, said the latter asked him to take up the matter with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

The CM also urged the Centre to ask the Jammu and Kashmir Government to adhere to the agreement of March 31, 2017, to ensure immediate resumption of work with the already approved 90:10 norm, instead of 60:40, as now proposed. He also sought approval for the revised cost estimate of Rs 2,738 crore for the project.

If these proposals are accepted by the Centre, water will no longer go downstream of the Madhopur head works to Pakistan, he added.

He stressed the need to bring the Rajasthan Feeder and Sirhind Feeder canals on the priority list to enable Central funding under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana.

Regarding canals, he told Gadkari that the Centre had released assistance for relining before listing 99 projects on priority. However, since the project was not on the list, the PMO should be asked to intervene so that the Union Cabinet’s approval for the same could be obtained. These projects can now be started in March 2019 with a closure of 70 days each in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

On road infrastructure, he batted for connectivity for the Barnala-Mansa section of NH-703 and the Dabwali-Malout-Abohar-Fazilka section of NH-10.