*BARINDER KUMAR GOYAL INAUGURATES TWO NEW WATER CHANNELS AT SHAHPURKANDI*
*SAYS FARMERS WILL RECEIVE DIRECT IRRIGATION WATER*
*CABINET MINISTER VISITS RANJIT SAGAR DAM, SHAHPURKANDI DAM AND MADHOPUR HEADWORKS*
*MANN GOVT TAKEN HISTORIC STEPS TO CONSERVE GROUNDWATER BY EXPANDING CANAL IRRIGATION: BARINDER KUMAR GOYAL*
*ALL FLOOD PROTECTION ARRANGEMENTS ARE IN PLACE, PUBLIC NEED NOT PANIC: BARINDER KUMAR GOYAL*
*Chandigarh/Pathankot, July 7:*
Punjab Water Resources Minister Sh. Barinder Kumar Goyal today inaugurated two newly constructed water channels at Shahpurkandi and said that these channels will ensure the direct supply of irrigation water to farmers. During his visit to Pathankot district, the Cabinet Minister also inspected the Ranjit Sagar Dam, Shahpurkandi Dam Barrage Project and Madhopur Headworks to review the reconstruction and development works undertaken after the damage caused by last year's floods. He was accompanied by senior departmental officers, including Superintending Engineer Gurpinder Sandhu, Ranjit Sagar Dam Chief Sher Singh and other officials.
Interacting with the media after the visit, Sh. Barinder Kumar Goyal said that under the leadership of Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab Government is undertaking path-breaking initiatives to strengthen canal irrigation, make agriculture more profitable and conserve the state's rapidly depleting groundwater resources. He said that following the dedication of the Shahpurkandi Dam Project to the people on November 5, 2025, the commencement of canal water supply to agricultural fields through the Shahpurkandi Channels has fulfilled a decades-old demand of farmers in the Kandi region.
The Cabinet Minister said that nearly 6,900 acres of farmland earlier received water through a lift irrigation system, which had remained defunct for the past 15 years. The Mann Government has reconstructed Shahpurkandi Channels No. 3 and 4, bringing an additional 6,000 acres under canal irrigation. As a result, nearly 13,000 acres are now receiving assured canal water. Around Rs.38 crore has been spent on the reconstruction and concrete lining of approximately 25 kilometres of channels. This initiative has transformed barren and rocky land in 15 villages, including Jugial, Madhopur and Ranipur, into cultivable farmland, making canal-based cultivation possible in these areas after several years.
Sh. Goyal said that when the government had announced its decision to extend canal water to the Kandi region, many had questioned the feasibility of the project. Today, that commitment has been successfully fulfilled. He said that by ensuring canal water reaches farmers' fields, the government has not only provided significant relief to the farming community but has also taken a historic step towards conserving Punjab's groundwater reserves. He cautioned that continued depletion of groundwater would have posed a serious challenge for the state in the years ahead.
He further said that the Punjab Government has strengthened the irrigation network by constructing and rehabilitating thousands of kilometres of canals and watercourses. Earlier, only 26 per cent of Punjab's allocated canal water was being utilised for irrigation, whereas the utilisation has now increased to nearly 80 per cent. The government has set a target of increasing it further to 86 per cent in the coming years.
Sharing details about Madhopur Headworks, Mr. Goyal said that following the extensive damage caused by the devastating floods of August 27, 2025, the department carried out restoration works on a war footing. Protective embankments, each measuring around 500 metres, were constructed on both sides of the headworks. By creating a temporary ring bundh, the department restored the full-capacity supply of water to the canals of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir from October 1, 2025. He added that all 54 gates have been modernised and made electrically operated, while the three damaged gates were reconstructed in record time using a new design. Around Rs.50 crore has been spent on these restoration and modernisation works, he added.
The Cabinet Minister further informed that Rs.3.61 crore has been spent on the lining of 17 kilometres of watercourses, resulting in substantial water conservation and ensuring the availability of canal water right up to the tail-end reaches.
Speaking about the state's preparedness for the ongoing monsoon season, Sh. Goyal said that all strengthening and repair works at vulnerable and weak locations identified during last year's floods have already been completed. He asserted that the Punjab Government is fully prepared to tackle any flood-related situation and there is no need for the public to panic. He added that all necessary preventive and protective measures have been put in place to ensure that people do not face any inconvenience during the monsoon season.
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