Lower Wardha Irrigation project to be completed in 3 years: CM Devendra Fadnavis

NAGPUR: The Lower Wardha Irrigation Project will be completed in three years, with which a goal of creating 66,000 hectares of irrigation potential would be achieved, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said.

"The Lower Wardha Irrigation Project will be completed in three years. It is vital for Wardha district which will create irrigation potential to save crops in the suicide-prone Wardha district in the backward region of Vidarbha," Fadnavis said after visiting the project site yesterday.

He also took stock of the progress of work at Dhanodi (Bahadarpur) in Wardha's Arvi tehsil.

He asked the officials concerned to expedite the process for getting clearance from Environment Ministry for Giroli canal, Deori branch canal, Pulgaon barrage, Kharda barrage, Aanji-Andori barrage and Arvi lift irrigation scheme components under the Lower Wardha irrigation project.

Observing that a wide area was getting affected due to the irrigation project, Fadnavis asked its chief engineer to conduct a study in this regard and submit a report on measures to be taken to avoid the possible damage to agricultural land at the earliest.

On the rehabilitation issues, the Chief Minister suggested that the list of basic amenities to be provided to the project-affected people should be expanded.

Stressing the need to ensure quality works, he said the responsibility for maintenance of these amenities in relocated villages should be fixed on the developer concerned.

The financial allocation for repair and maintenance of amenities in these villages would be increased from five per cent to 25 per cent, he said.

Minister of State for Industries Praveen Pote, Wardha MP Ramdas Tadas, legislators Amar Kale, Pankaj Bhoyar, Sameer Kunawar and Veerendra Jagtap and former MP Vijay Mude were present during the CM's visit to the project.