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| Punjab shows thumb to J&K Govt, demands Rs 150 crore | | Shahpurkandi Dam unlikely to become reality | | Syed Junaid Hashmi
Jammu, Mar 8: Punjab Government has shown thumb to the Jammu and Kashmir Government over the construction of Shahpurkandi Dam resulting in State loosing around Rs. 1550 crores. And if the records are any indication, State Government is also in no mood to relent. A tug of war is going on with both sides sticking to their high moral grounds and none coming down in the interest of farmers of Jammu region. J&K considers Punjab Government's demand for Rs. 150 crore, which according to them is just 10 percent of total cost incurred on Ranjit Sagar Dam Project, morally unjust. Punjab has been repeatedly saying that this Rs. 150 crore is attributable to irrigation portion and is alleged to be payable by Jammu and Kashmir Government to the Punjab Government as per the inter-state agreement of January 20, 1979. J&K maintains that since the Punjab Government has not honoured its part of the agreement in the past nor is it going to do so in future, thereby causing huge losses to J&K; it has no moral right to claim Rs. 150 crore at this stage.
Thus, the issue is stuck up between the two States. And with both the parties sticking to their respective positions, Jammu region is facing drought like situation in the Kandi areas. According to official statistics, the ultimate irrigation potential to be created by the Ravi Canal would be 1.33 lakh acres against which potential created is roughly of the order of 1.0 lakh acres as of now.
At present about 27,500 acres is covered by irrigation through interim measures by way of construction of two lift stations, one at Lakhanpur (200 cusecs capacity) and the other at Basantpur (500 cusecs capacity) in the years 1984 and 1989 respectively to feed water into the completed portion of the Ravi Canal. Thus, about 72,500 acres of cultivable area has been deprived of irrigation facilities over the years by the Punjab.
As per data collected from Agriculture Department (Command Area) regarding average yields and the market rate of crops, the average production of wheat in this area is 9.16 quintals per acre and the market rate is around Rs. 1100 per quintal. Similarly, average production of Basmati is around 12 quintals per acre and price per quintal of paddy is Rs. 2000 approximately.
Thus, studies have revealed that losses suffered in terms of production of food grains in the remaining 72,500 acres, for which irrigation has been deprived of, due to non-construction of Shahpurkandi Dam by the Punjab, the same work out to Rs. 248 crores approximately per annum at the current price level. The total losses which the State has suffered due to non-construction of Shahpurkandi Dam by the Punjab over the years is of the order of Rs. 1550 crores approximately.
Records establish the fact that there has been protracted correspondence and umpteen number of meetings with the Punjab Government from time to time on the subject with hardly any result and the State has continued to suffer losses. It needs to be reiterated that cost of Shahpurkandi Dam has been revised to Rs. 2339 crores and the project has been declared as a National Project by the Union Ministry of Water Resources.
As per the inter-State Agreement of January 29, 1955, the Jammu and Kashmir is entitled to 0.69 MAF of supplies from the river Ravi which includes pre-partition utilization of 0.04 MAF. Out of 0.69 MAF, 0.215 MAF is being utilized through Kathua Canal, Kerian Gandial Canal and Old Basantpur Canal and balance 0.475 MAF was proposed to be utilized through Ravi Canal.
Accordingly, a project was formulated in May 1972 where under Ravi Canal was envisaged to be constructed up to Village Chak Salarian in Vijaypur. This project for the construction of 82 kms long Ravi Canal to be taken off from the right bank of River Ravi from Tail Race of Ranjit Sagar Dam up to its tail at Chak Salarian (Vijaypur) along with the allied works was formulated at an estimated cost of Rs. 29.84 crores. |
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