Jalpaiguri, July 15 -- A long-pending irrigation project linked to the Teesta Barrage is set to be revived under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY), with the West Bengal government proposing an estimated outlay of Rs 11,000 crore to expand irrigation coverage across four districts of North Bengal.
The proposed project aims to provide irrigation to nearly 3.42 lakh hectares of agricultural land in Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Uttar Dinajpur and Darjeeling districts.
Unlike the original plan, which relied heavily on irrigation canals, the revised proposal envisages an underground pipeline irrigation network to overcome long-standing land acquisition hurdles.
According to Krishnendu Bhowmik, Chief Engineer of the Teesta Barrage Division, a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for implementing the pipeline-based irrigation system through the Teesta Barrage has been submitted to the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti via the state government.
The Teesta Barrage currently supplies irrigation water through the Teesta-Mahananda Link Canal and the Mahananda Link Canal. However, officials said several stretches of the proposed right and left bank canal networks were never constructed despite land having been acquired under the barrage project decades ago.
As a result, large tracts of farmland in North Bengal continue to remain outside the irrigation network.
Officials said that while the Centre had earlier planned to implement the project under Stage-I, Sub-Stage-I of the Teesta Barrage scheme, it could not progress because of difficulties in acquiring land for canal construction. Engineers subsequently explored an alternative design based on underground pipelines, which eliminates the need for fresh land acquisition.
Sources in the Teesta Barrage Division said the pipeline system would pass beneath agricultural fields, with farmers retaining cultivation rights over the land after installation.
Compensation would be paid only for any standing crops damaged during the laying of pipelines, significantly reducing project delays and rehabilitation issues.
The division has also begun compiling updated data on the extent of irrigated and unirrigated land, unused acquired land and encroachments within the barrage command area following the budget announcement.
Officials added that the new system is expected to minimise water loss and improve irrigation efficiency.
Water released from the Teesta Barrage will also pass through a treatment facility to remove debris before being supplied to agricultural fields.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.