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BIJNOR: On Thursday, UP government allocated Rs 1,770 crores to complete phase-2 of the Madhya-Ganga canal project. The government has set a target of 11 months for the completion of the project. Land acquisition still remains a major issue with farmers unwilling to part their land at prices offered by the irrigation department.

Work on the project started in 2007-08 and then the entire cost of the project was set at Rs 1061 crores. Delay in the land acquisition process led to the cost escalation and the project which started only in 2009, ran out of funds by 2014.

The canal will start from the Ganga barrage in Bijnor and provide irrigation facilities to Moradabad, Sambhal , Amroha and Badaun. It is likely to irrigate 2.26 lakh hectares of agriculture land. The project includes a 66km-long main canal and 250 km of smaller canals.

The project resumed after Yogi Adityanath became chief minister. The revised pegged the cost of the project at Rs 4,400 crores in 2017. Last year, the government allocated Rs 500 crores to restart the project and now Rs 1770 crores has been sanctioned.

So far, only 40% of the work has been completed and a deadline of December 31, 2019 has been set for completion However, land acquisition remains a challenge with farmers wanting high prices for the land, amounts that the irrigation department is unable to pay.

SP Saini, former executive engineer of Madhya Ganga canal, told TOI, “Right from the beginning of the project, irrigation authorities committed irregularities in the project. They did not acquire the entire land for the project. Later, prices of the land jumped up to four times after the new Land Acquisition Act was passed by the Centre. I complained against the officials several times.”

On being asked on the issue of compensation, executive engineer of Madhya Ganga Canan Phase-2, BS, Chahar, said, “We are talking to the farmers who are opposing to sell their land. It is right that some farmers are not agree to give their land and they have put the case in the court. They are asking high prices of their land.”

“The state govt had made a provision of around Rs 1770 crore for Madhya Ganga Canal Phase in the newly budget but written order is yet to come in this regard. The work is pending for the last three years. If we get budget, we will be able to complete it by the deadline,” he added.

