CHANDIGARH, June 9 — Punjab Water Resources and Soil and Water Conservation Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal on Monday inaugurated several critical irrigation initiatives valued at ₹13 crore in the Amargarh Assembly constituency. Accompanied by local legislator Professor Jaswant Singh Gajjanmajra, the minister launched the pipeline and lining works at Manakmajra and Dehleez Khurd villages, stating that the new network will deliver canal water to 3,832 acres of agricultural land for the first time.
The minister noted that previous regimes merely engaged in political posturing over water rights while failing to protect the actual interests of Punjab. He stated that the administration under Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann remains deeply committed to expanding canal distribution and checking groundwater depletion.
According to officials, the primary component of the initiative involves the newly built Bhasaur Minor originating from the Kotla Branch Canal, completed with concrete lining at a cost of approximately ₹4.07 crore. This development restores essential water channels to nine distinct villages across the Malerkotla and Sangrur districts, resolving an irrigation deficit that persisted for nearly 60 years.
Detailing the project components, the Water Resources Minister said:
“The objective of the government is to ensure every drop of canal water reaches tail-end fields while safeguarding water resources, Punjab identity and youth from drug menace under the vision of ‘Rangla Punjab’. Previous governments only indulged in politics over water issues and failed to safeguard Punjab’s rightful share of water.”
The infrastructure rollout includes the installation of a 7,640-meter underground pipeline system extending from the Bhasaur Minor. The ₹1.73 crore installation will service 1,006 acres of agricultural plots in Darogewal and Manakmajra villages. Furthermore, an investment of ₹1.03 crore has been utilized for a 4,200-meter pipeline network connecting Rustamgarh, Sangali, Sangala, and Bhaini Kalan villages, extending post-Independence canal irrigation benefits to 980 acres.
At Dehleez Khurd, the minister operationalized additional modern distribution projects worth ₹6.17 crore. This includes a 20,149-meter pipeline drawing from the Bathinda Branch at an outlay of ₹5.63 crore to support 1,486 acres in Mehrna Khurd, Kanganpur, and Rasulpur. An allocation of ₹54 lakh will also connect 360 acres in Dehleez Kalan and Dehleez Khurd to the system.
Speaking during the rural gathering, MLA Professor Jaswant Singh Gajjanmajra affirmed that agrarian prosperity remains the top priority for the state. He declared that upgrading and modernizing the canal networks would directly boost agricultural yield and local farmer incomes, assuring residents that fiscal resources would never be a constraint for regional infrastructure projects.
