Deoghar: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has laid the foundation stone of ₹484-crore mega lift irrigation scheme on Sikatia barrage in Sarath block of Deoghar district. The irrigation scheme, to be executed from the water of Ajay river, aims to provide irrigation in the fields of around 190 villages of 27 panchayats of Deoghar and Jamtara districts.
The foundation laying ceremony was done on Monday. The CM said that the scheme would be made functional in the next three years. “Sikatia Mega Lift Irrigation Scheme is going to be a part the major initiatives of the state government to cut down the farmers’ dependence of groundwater for irrigation,” said Soren.
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Officials of the state water resources department said that the farmers will be able to cultivate crops throughout the year in Tand (upland) area also, because the government is working towards providing water for irrigation here too.
The CM said that Jharkhand had been an area replete with dams, barrages and water reservoirs, but its resources are mostly used by the farmers of other states. “Now the state government is making a comprehensive action plan to bring all cultivable land under the irrigation cover. The state water resources department is also working on the plan to take water from the river Ganga through pipelines and ensure irrigation in the uncovered areas,” Soren said.
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Soren said that the government was laying special emphasis on using the latest technology for irrigation projects, so that along with better and proper use of water, the fields and barns do not come under submergence.
The chief minister said that earlier also many schemes were made for irrigation. It was also implemented. But, it took 30 to 40 years for its completion. Many plans are still incomplete. Due to the longer time taken to complete the projects, their cost increased.
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“The biggest thing is that the people whose land, fields and barns were acquired for these projects, waited for a long time to get the benefits but were disappointed. But our government is moving towards completing all the projects including irrigation on time, so that people can get maximum benefits from them” said Soren.
Under the Sikatiya Mega Lift Irrigation Scheme, irrigation facilities will be available through an underground pipeline from Ajay River Barrage. ₹484.35 crore will be spent on this scheme. The construction work will be completed in three years and around 1.11 lakh farmers would be benefitted from the scheme.
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The scheme would create irrigational facility in 13 thousand 164 hectares of agricultural land. Apart from paddy, irrigation facilities will be available for the cultivation of crops like Ragi, Jowar and Maize along with pulses and oilseeds. If there is heavy rainfall and the fields do not require that much water, then that water can be diverted to the adjacent reservoirs.
