The Haryana government today decided to scrap the Dadupur Nalvi Irrigation scheme, evoking sharp reaction from the opposition Congress and INLD, who claimed that the canal was supposed to provide relief to a large number of people of northern Haryana.
The Haryana Cabinet, which met here under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, approved a proposal of Irrigation and Water Resources Department to denotify 1,019.2994 acres of land acquired for construction of Dadupur Nalvi Irrigation Scheme, an official release said here.
Initially the Dadupur Nalvi scheme was initiated in the year 1985 and the project was approved by the then government for Rs 13 crore for irrigation and recharging of ground water in the Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra and Ambala districts.
For implementing the scheme, 190.67 acre land was acquired during 1987-90. But the scheme could not be further taken up, the release said.
Later on during October 2005, the project was again approved by the government for Rs 267.27 crore for this scheme in which Shahbad Feeder, Shahbad Distributory and Nalvi Distributory along with off taking channels were to be constructed for utilising 590 cusecs discharge.
"As per the project, 2,246.53 acre land was to be acquired for construction of this scheme. Out of it, the department acquired a total of 1019.2994 acre land for construction of main channels--Shahbad Feeder, Shahbad Disty and Nalvi Disty.
"Acquisition of this land cost Rs 75.98 crore as per award. Additionally, Rs 116.35 crore was paid as enhancement as per court orders.
"Thus till date, a total of Rs 192.33 crore have been paid to land owners for 1019.2994 acre land. The department also incurred expenditure of Rs 111.167 crore on execution of these three channels," the release said giving details of the cabinet decision.
The other channels which were to irrigate 92,532 hectare area of Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra and Ambala districts could not be taken up due to resistance of land owners as farmers were not interested to give their land for construction of minor due to the fact that water would be available to them only during rainy season when they do not require water, it said.
"Hence, the government abandoned the execution of these channels," it said.
"The land owners whose land was acquired from 2005 onwards were not satisfied with the award of lower courts and moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court... as per the judgment of the High Court last year, an amount of Rs 566.49 crore has become payable in respect of 167.27 acres of land only.
"Since enhancement for only 167.27 acre land has been given as Rs 566.49 crore by high court, the government has not found the scheme feasible and hence decided to abandon the scheme and denotify the acquired land," the release said.
However, former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, during whose tenure main work of the canal took place, hit out at the government for the move to scrap the scheme and denotify the acquired land.
"More than 150 villages will be affected, the canal was lifeline for them. The present government did not construct any new canal, but decided to scrap one," he said.
Main opposition INLD's state unit chief Ashok Arora said the decision of the government was "anti-farmer".
"This is betrayal with farmers. People in Ambala, Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra were to be benefitted, but now they stand to lose out. We will oppose the government's move," he said.
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