The government of Uttar Pradesh has allotted Rs 1,736 crore for the Madhya Ganga Canal project which has been stuck for more than 10 years. The money will be utilised for completion of the channel which will irrigate agricultural lands from Bijnor to Sambhal.

During the Budget 2019-20, the state government had set December 2019 as the deadline for completion of the project. But lack of funds halted the work on the project. The government now intends to complete the 66 km long canal by the end of 2020.

The project had begun in 2007-08 and the entire cost was put at Rs 1,061 crore. However, due to delay in land acquisition process, the work started in 2009. Later in 2014, the work again came to a halt after the sanctioned budget was exhausted. The cost of the project also spiked after the new Land Acquisition Act.

The revised estimate shot up to Rs 4,400 crore in 2017. In 2018 around Rs 500 crore were released to start the work. The Madhya Ganga Canal, which starts from Bijnor, will irrigate Moradabad, Sambhal, Amroha and Badaun districts. About 2.26 lakh ha agriculture land will be irrigated by this canal.

The government has set a target for completion of 14 irrigation projects, including Madhya Ganga Canal Phase-II, Arjun Sahayak irrigation project and Saryu Nahar Pariyojana, etc. An amount of Rs 1,736 crore has been sanctioned for Madhya Ganga Canal. Once Madhya Ganga Canal is completed, it will recharge ground water in different pockets of the districts.