Punjab will implement Telangana’s canal-based irrigation system: Bhagwant Mann

SIDDIPET: The Punjab Government will draw inspiration from Telangana’s canal-based irrigation system and implement the same in its state, said Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Thursday.

The Punjab Chief Minister visited several places in Gajwel Assembly constituency and Konda Pochamma Sagar at Markook as part of his two-day tour of the state to study water resource management in Telangana.

Speaking to the media on this occasion, Mann complimented the K Chandrashekar Rao-led State Government for its efficient use and management of water resources. He observed that the building and commissioning of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS) was helping this task a great deal. He undertook the tour to Telangana to explore opportunities to built one such project in Punjab.

During his visit to Konda Pochamma Sagar earlier in the day, Bhagwant Singh Mann took a close look at the pumping system and motors even as he was appraised about the significance of the reservoir.

Telangana Special Chief Secretary for Irrigation Department Rajat Kumar informed the visiting dignitary that the KLIS was designed in such a way that it effortlessly pumped water to Konda Pochamma Sagar which is at a height of 618 metres from the sea level.

Kaleshwaram project is a cynosure of India

Heaping praises on KCR, Mann said that the Telangana Chief Minister built Kaleshwaram project with a vision in such a short span of time and all the other states were wondering how a project of this magnitude as Kaleshwaram could be turned into a reality, he commented.

The Punjab Chief Minister described KCR as a ‘great visionary leader’ and said that it was a miracle to uplift water to such a great height of more than half a kilometre. He complimented KCR’s vision for the development of Telangana.

Stating that Punjab had more than 14 lakhs tube-wells, he felt that a lake-irrigation system needed to be developed in his state.

Bhagwant Mann later visited a check-dam built across the Kudavelly Vagu near Erravalli village in Markook and the Pandavula Cheruvu, which has been transformed into a mini-tank bund following its restoration. On a pragmatic note, he said that they would always be happy to learn from good initiatives of others in any part of the world.

Farmers brief Mann on how Mission Kakatiya transformed their lives

The Punjab Chief Minister was also impressed with the Telangana government’s Basti Dawakhana concept modelled on a similar concept in New Delhi. Interacting with farmers at Pandavula Cheruvu, Bhagwant Mann enquired as to how their lives had transformed post the formation of Telangana. Pochaiah, a farmer, came up with his experience of his own life before and after Mission Kakatiya. Pochaiah said that he was forced to abandon cultivation on his two-acre land due to acute water scarcity.

After Mission Kakatiya, the ponds were rejuvenated and bunds were widened and strengthened which has led to the increase in the storage capacity and ground water. With abundant water available through his borewell, he is cultivating one crop of paddy and three crops of vegetables now, earning him more than Rs 2 lakh per year, Pochaiah said while expressing his amazement that he never expected this transformation in his life.

On an enquiry from Mann, the farmers said that their income had increased considerably since the time they had been receiving irrigation water. The recharge of groundwater tables too had improved since the government built a number of reservoirs across the State, they told him.

At this juncture, Mann commented, “We, in Punjab, dig borewells so deep for water, just like how they do it for oil in Dubai and Saudi Arabia.”

He noted that farmers across the country were facing difficulties and regularly staging protests as they could not get remunerative prices for their products. This is a sad reality considering that 80 percent of the Indian population is dependent on agricultural produce, he added. He said that they would coordinate with Telangana officials in future to emulate and implement schemes for the development of the states.

Besides Rajat Kumar, ENC Hariram and other officials accompanied the Punjab Chief Minister on his visit.