Other States - Orissa   

Irrigation development gets a boost

BHUBANESWAR: Even as the opposition parties were continuing with their criticism about the government’s decision to allow various industries to take water from Hirakud reservoir and other places, the State government on Tuesday said it had decided to set up a new Directorate to work for development of irrigation and oversee the progress in the Pani Panchayat scheme in the State.

The proposed Directorate would be named as the Directorate of Command Area Development and Participatory Irrigation Management.

According to an official release, the decision to establish the Directorate was taken with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik giving his approval to a proposal prepared in this regard by the Water Resources Department.

Apart from working for development of command areas of various dams, the new body would oversee the implementation of the Orissa Integrated Irrigated Agriculture and Water Management Project, a joint initiative of the Water Resources Department and Asian Development Bank (ADB) that was to begin in the coming months.

Mr. Patnaik, who holds the Water Resources portfolio, had recently announced that the government would spend Rs. 200 crores for the repair and strengthening of the canals in the Hirakud command area over the next three years.

The aim was to ensure that water from Hirakud reached the tail ends of the canals, he had said.

Although some new industries had already started taking water from the reservoir despite opposition from farmers in the western region of the State, the issue of availability of water for irrigation had become a major controversy after police lathi-charged the agitating farmers at Hirakud on November 6.

The Congress-led opposition had subsequently stalled the proceedings of the winter session of the State Assembly demanding a special discussion on the farmers’ agitation and a voting on the question whether water of Hirakud was meant for industries or farmers.

The government had strongly opposed the opposition demand for a voting on the question.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Training programme on ‘Chhau’ dance
Unique way to spread AIDS awareness
Stage set for ‘Barabati Nrutyotsab’
It’s raining cash for State Ranji players
Dacoit gang busted
Man dies in wall collapse
‘Cease work’ stir by lawyers from today
New BJD chief
Minister asks schools to lay emphasis on science education
Ryots caught in inter-state row
Irrigation development gets a boost
Full-fledged airport demanded
144 kg ganja seized

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu