Div Com (J) seeks timely desilting of irrigation canals

Jammu: Divisional Commissioner Sanjeev Verma Tuesday chaired a meeting to review the progress on desilting of irrigation canals of Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts.
The meeting was attended by Director Agriculture, Chief Engineer, Irrigation and Flood Control, Executive Engineers and other concerned while Deputy Commissioners of Samba and Kathua along with concerned officers attended the meeting through video conferencing.
During the meeting, threadbare discussions were held about the status of desilting of canals, khuls in the three districts of Jammu, Samba and Kathua. The concerned officers apprised the Div Com that desilting work has been taken in section wise and tenders have been floated for remaining lengths.
Divisional Commissioner directed the Irrigation Department to gear up men and machinery to ensure cleaning of the canals well before Baisakhi. He also directed for early release of water in canals of Kathua district, where the third phase of irrigation is required for wheat crop. He asked the department to ensure that the farmers do not suffer due to shortage of irrigation water.
The Divisional Commissioner instructed the concerned officers to conduct regular visit to different locations including rural areas and inspect the progress of desilting works and resolve the grievances of farmers, if any. He also asked the district administrations for monitoring the works in their respective jurisdictions.