Himachal ex-CM Thakur raises concern over Centre-funded irrigation project

Shimla, June 22 (IANS) BJP leader and former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Sunday expressed apprehensions over the utilisation of Central funds allocated for the completion of the much-delayed Phina Singh irrigation project in Kangra district.

The state government last week received an approval and release of Rs 55.51 crore from the Centre for the project that started 14 years ago.

The approval has been granted under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY).

In a statement here, Leader of Opposition Thakur said the Congress government led by Sukhvinder Sukhu “is looking for ways of corruption in the Phina Singh scheme funded by the Central government. The manipulations the government is doing in the tender conditions, causing a loss of crores to the state exchequer”.

He said by “imposing certain restrictions the government on one hand is flouting rules and on the other keeping major companies debarred from the tender process. Now the favourite companies have joined hands, resulting the minimum bid for the tender that has come down to Rs 297 crore from Rs 304 crore”.

The BJP leader alleged that the government would now give work to ‘favourite’ ones. “It is also being reported that the companies which the government is favouring have no previous experience of building dams. In such a scenario, the government is misusing the Central assistance to benefit its favourites.”

Thakur said to speed up the construction of the irrigation project the Union Jal Shakti Ministry had approved a budget of Rs 284 crore in August last by including it in the Prime Minister Agricultural Irrigation Scheme.

Now, it has been approved by the Centre under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Program (AIBP) under which 90 per cent is to be spent by the Centre and 10 per cent by the state.

In February 2025, the Central government has also released the first installment of Rs 67.5 crore. This project had been stalled for over a decade, but it has now emerged as a ray of hope for the farmers of Kangra district, a state government statement said on the release of Rs 55.51 crore from the Central government on June 13.

Upon completion, the scheme will provide irrigation to thousands of hectares, significantly boosting agricultural productivity. The Phina Singh project in Nurpur was started at an initial cost of Rs 204 crore in 2011, which has now escalated to over Rs 650 crore.

--IANS

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