Early Times Newspaper Jammu
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Irrigation Deptt fails to implement irrigation schemes, farmers suffer

Early Times Report
JAMMU, Apr 16: The Irrigation Department has miserably failed on complete implementation of irrigation schemes launched for the welfare of the famers of the State particularly in the areas where irrigation facilities are very little.
Sources told Early Times that the Center had released hundreds of crores for creating irrigation infrastructure to ensure accessibility of water to the far off fields where crops entirely depend on rain and at times farmers have to suffer huge losses for want of water.
"In one such project, out of 95 Minor Irrigation Schemes completed against ultimate Irrigation Potential of 25,000 hectares, only 20,000 hectares i.e 80 per cent was created while 38 schemes showed that Irrigation Potential utilized was only 2,400 hectares against the Irrigation Potential created of 4,600 hectares. Moreover against 7 completed schemes, against the Irrigation Potential created of 2,600 hectares only 700 hectares was utilized," they said.
They said that the inability of the Irrigation Department to utilize compete irrigation potential has failed to yield the desire results and the irrigation schemes which were completed proved sheer wastage of public fund. If sources are to believed the department has been trying to shield itself by giving excuse of depletion of sources but the department gave no data in this regard to justify their point.
They further informed that the gap between irrigation potential created and utilized in respect of these 140 schemes still persists. Moreover, in 340 schemes completed ending March 2016 including previous schemes, the irrigation potential created was 84,000 hectares ending March 2016 against which only 62,000 hectares has been utilized which resulted in shortfall of 21,000 hectares.