Water Resources Minister Barinder Goyal inaugurates paved section of second Patiala feeder, spanning 24 km, constructed at a cost of Rs 36 crore

Jaure Pull/Payal (Ludhiana), February 7, 2025: Punjab Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal inaugurated the 24-kilometer paved section (lining and rehabilitation) of the second Patiala feeder canal on Friday. This project will benefit farmers in the Patiala, Sangrur, Mansa, and Malerkotla districts.

Completed in a record time of just one and a half months, the project has been executed at a cost of Rs 36 crore. During the inauguration, the Minister stated that with the completion of this project, approximately 400,000 acres of land across ten blocks in the Patiala, Sangrur, Malerkotla, and Mansa districts will now receive 1,617 cusecs of water, an increase from the previous 900 cusecs. He further highlighted that this work, originally estimated to cost Rs 42 crore, was accomplished by the honest government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann for only Rs 36 crore. 

The Minister also pointed out that previous governments often took years to finish projects and frequently inflated costs. In contrast, the Punjab government, under the leadership of Bhagwant Singh Mann, completed this work in a month and a half, further saving Rs 6 crore in the process.

The Cabinet Minister noted that several areas of the state had not received canal water for the past 40 years, but this farmer-friendly government has been able to provide canal water within just a few months. He emphasized that the Punjab government, is committed to strengthening agriculture which is the backbone of the state's economy.

Previously, only 68 percent of the water from the dams had been utilized, while 38 percent used to be wasted. However, in the last three years, the government has increased water usage to 84 percent and aims to achieve 100 percent utilization in the near future. Utilizing canal water helps raise groundwater levels, and farmers are encouraged to use it whenever possible, as it produces healthier crops and reduces electricity consumption, he added. 

Among those present at the inauguration were MLAs Manwinder Singh Giaspura, Prof. Jaswant Singh Gajjan Majra, Gurdev Singh Mann, Chairman Saqib Ali Raja, Executive Engineer Sukhjeet Singh Bhullar, Kirandeep Kaur, and SDOs Ashish Kumar and Gurpeet Singh, among others.