The state government has formally started the process of acquiring land in Muktsar district for the proposed Malwa canal project. The canal is expected to boost irrigation in Ferozepur, Faridkot and Muktsar districts.
The canal will originate at Harike headworks.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann had visited the proposed site at Doda village on July 27 last year, and highlighted the government’s commitment to improving irrigation infrastructure in the region.
He had claimed that it would be the first canal to be built in the state after the country’s Independence.
It was expected to be 149-km long, 50-ft wide and 12.5-ft deep, having a capacity to carry 2,000 cusecs of water.
It would help irrigate an area of around 2 lakh acres.
As per a fresh notification issued by the Water Resources Department and published in the government gazette on Saturday, the land identified for acquisition in 22 villages of Muktsar district cannot be now sold, transferred or encumbered without prior approval from the Collector.