Suhail Bhat
SRINAGAR, Mar 28: The construction work on the Rabitar Lift Irrigation scheme, which is being implemented under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP) in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district, remains incomplete despite the passage of nearly eight years since the project began.
The scheme was approved in 2012 with an estimated cost of over Rs 4 crores and an irrigation potential of around 500 hectares. The scheme would have provided irrigation to the Rabitar Karewa and would have been built on the Parigam canal with a lift of around 100 meters.
However, the project got stalled in recent years due to issues such as a lack of compensation for affected farmers and cost escalation. “The project has had very little work done on it, including the development of some parts of the supply channel. Cost escalation is emerging as a major challenge for the project,” an official from the Department of Irrigation and Flood Control told Excelsior.
Another official from the Irrigation and Flood Control Department’s Mechanical Division told Excelsior that nearly 20% of the mechanical machinery has been procured so far, and that “current expenditure is negligible both on the civil and mechanical parts of the project.”
Locals said the scheme would have solved the area’s irrigation problems, especially during the summers when there is a drought like situation, but a delay in its completion has dashed their hopes.
“The irrigation facilities will open up new ways for the farmers as they can move to more profitable crops like apples or vegetables. The project should be completed as soon as possible, “Altaf Ahmad, a local, said.
Locals said the project started smoothly but slowed after a year because some people who wanted to divert it to their side put up roadblocks. They said the government should not make any changes to the project and instead move forward with what was conceived in the beginning as it would best serve the people.
“After studying the topography of the area, the project was planned. The location was chosen with the catchment area in mind, which is in desperate need of irrigation. Any changes to the project will undermine the very foundation of the concept,” locals said
They continued that rains are critical for agriculture in this area and that the project would have not only provided irrigation to these villages but also aided in the community’s social and economic development. “It would have uplifted the farmers of the area,” locals said.
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