Punjab Cabinet Minister Harjot Singh Bains today laid foundation stone of Punjab's largest lift irrigation scheme to bring canal water for irrigation in the villages of Changar region, a semi-mountainous area under the Sri Anandpur Sahib Assembly Constituency. The foundation stone for this Rs.90-CR project was laid in Samlah village, considered as the capital of Changar region.
Addressing the gathering, Cabinet Minister Harjot Singh Bains said, when he first came to this area, he had a deep desire to resolve the water scarcity issue in Changar villages, when God would grant him the strength. He expressed immense happiness that his heartfelt wish has been fulfilled. He said that after obtaining permissions from 23 departments and the union government, work on this project could finally commence.
He mentioned that obtaining union government approval had already taken more than a year and a half.Bains said that through 10 pump sets, agricultural land spanning approximately 3,300 acres in the Changar region would receive irrigation water. He committed to completing the project within six months.Addressing a mammoth gathering of over a dozen villages, he said that for decades, local people had suffered due to lack of basic irrigation infrastructure.
He explained that due to water scarcity, Changar residents were forced to abandon their homes and fields during summer, traveling to areas near the Sutlej river in Sri Anandpur Sahib, which resulted in crop damage by wild and stray animals behind, causing annual losses to farmers.
Bains stated that his dream of bringing water to Changar's fields had materialized. To transform the region's landscape and the fortune of its residents, a Rs.300 project is being prepared to provide clean drinking water to every household and set up irrigation infrastructure. He said that discussions are ongoing with the World Bank for this project, with hopes of swift implementation.
He also mentioned that four deep tube wells, which had been non-functional for over two decades, have been reactivated and two new tube wells have been installed. Bains mentioned that the country's best "School of Happiness" is being developed in the Lakhed area of Changar, which will provide education up to the primary level.
He further stated that a Primary Health Center is being constructed in Kiratpur Sahib with an investment of Rs.2.50 crore and Aam Aadmi clinics are successfully providing health services. Describing the region as a picturesque area bordering Himachal Pradesh, Bains lamented that previously, no representative had made efforts for the region's progress and prosperity. He said that this naturally resource-rich area could have been developed as a tourist hub and they have now initiated work towards this goal.
Highlighting plans to develop the area around Sri Anandpur Sahib, Kiratpur Sahib and near Mata Naina Devi mountains as a tourist destination, Bains said that within the next two years, this region would become Punjab's most beautiful and prosperous area, with roads at least 18 feet wide. During the function, special felicitation was accorded for families who donated land free of cost for this irrigation scheme.