The Hindu : National : Centre keen to fund project in Rae Bareli

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Wednesday, Jun 21, 2006

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National

Centre keen to fund project in Rae Bareli

Gargi Parsai

NEW DELHI: The Union Government is considering taking over the Sharda Sahayak feeder canal in Sonia Gandhi's constituency, Rae Bareli, which will provide irrigation to this and adjoining districts. The issue of restoration and maintenance of this canal has been hanging fire with the Uttar Pradesh Government for the past three years. The UP Government has told the Ministry that the Rs. 334-crore canal could be restored with MPLADs or MLAs' constituency funds.

Union Water Resources Minister Saifuddin Soz took up the matter with Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav on Monday. In a letter to Mr. Yadav, Prof. Soz told him that restoration of the canal system could be funded under the Centre's Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme for which the State should send the proposal. Prof. Soz said the State Government had been asked to undertake extension, renovation and modernisation (ERM) of this canal system under AIBP but it had not even responded to letters from the Central Government. The Ministry now proposes to refer the matter to the Planning Commission for review.

The matter seems to have acquired urgency after Ms. Gandhi's latest visit to her constituency where people complained to her about lack of water and electricity. "The attitude of Mr. Mulayam Singh on the Sharda canal is detrimental to the interests of farmers,'' said Prof. Soz, confirming that he had taken up the issue with the Chief Minister.

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