my uttarakhand news Bureau
Dehradun, 23 Feb: “Keeping in view the upcoming 2027 Ardh Kumbh Mela in Haridwar, river channelisation and the Storm Water Master Drainage System needs to be completed in a time-bound manner. Along with accelerating departmental works, special attention must be paid to quality, and vacant positions should be filled promptly.”
These directions were issued by Uttarakhand Irrigation, Tourism, Public Works, Panchayati Raj, Rural Construction, Watershed, Religious Affairs, and Culture Minister Satpal Maharaj while chairing a review meeting of the Irrigation and Minor Irrigation Departments at the Irrigation Bhawan here today. The minister emphasised that, under the deposit head for Kumbh-related works, special focus should be given to permanent nature projects along with construction works of state property, education, horticulture, and other departments. He also directed that any encroachment, if present, on land at Pant Dweep in Haridwar should be removed immediately.
After the review meeting, the minister stated that, for the Song Dam project in Dehradun, with a total cost of Rs 2,069.64 crore, an amount of Rs 274.20 crore has been released so far for construction work. This project will supply 150 MLD of drinking water daily to a population of approximately 1.1 million in Dehradun city.
He further stated that work on the Jamrani Dam project, with an estimated cost of Rs 3,678.23 crore, is progressing steadily. So far, works worth Rs 989.96 crore have been completed under this project.
The Irrigation Minister added that, during the financial year 2025–26, the Irrigation Department has generated revenue of Rs 242 crore. Repair and renovation works of canals and tube wells worth Rs 449.25 crore are currently underway across the state. Additionally, reservoirs are being constructed for water conservation, augmentation, drinking water supply, and irrigation purposes.
Under the Minor Irrigation Department, small check dams, ponds, and recharge shafts are being developed across the state. Under the PM Kusum Yojana, 40 diesel pumps are being converted into solar pumps. So far, 2,139 diesel pump sets have been converted into solar pump sets under this scheme.
Under the NABARD-funded scheme, new projects worth Rs 89.47 crore have been approved for the financial year 2025–26. With this amount, 415 check dams, 43 solar pump sets, 149,103 metres of pipeline, 59 water storage tanks (hauz), and 9.32 km of irrigation channels (guls) are proposed to be constructed. The minister also stated that sprinkler, drip, and rain gun systems are being implemented to enhance irrigation capacity.
The meeting was attended by Irrigation Committee Vice Chairman Rishi Kandwal, Irrigation Secretary Yugal Kishore Pant, Chief Engineer of the Irrigation Department Subhash Pandey, Chief Engineer of the Minor Irrigation Department BK Tiwari, and several other departmental officials.
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