Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal Inaugurates Shahpurkandi Water Channels
Pathankot, July 7
Punjab Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal inaugurated two newly reconstructed water channels at Shahpurkandi, saying the project will significantly improve irrigation by delivering canal water directly to farmers’ fields while strengthening the state’s efforts to conserve rapidly depleting groundwater.
During his visit to Pathankot district, the Cabinet Minister also inspected the Ranjit Sagar Dam, Shahpurkandi Dam Barrage Project and Madhopur Headworks to review reconstruction and development works carried out after the damage caused by the floods of 2025. He was accompanied by senior departmental officers, including Superintending Engineer Gurpinder Sandhu, Ranjit Sagar Dam Chief Sher Singh and other officials.
Addressing the media, Goyal said the Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab Government has prioritized expanding canal irrigation to make agriculture more sustainable and reduce dependence on groundwater. He said the commissioning of the Shahpurkandi channels follows the dedication of the Shahpurkandi Dam Project to the people on November 5, 2025, fulfilling a decades-old demand of farmers in the Kandi region. The minister said nearly 6,900 acres of farmland that earlier depended on a lift irrigation system had remained without reliable irrigation for the past 15 years after the system became defunct. With the reconstruction of Shahpurkandi Channels No. 3 and 4, an additional 6,000 acres have now been brought under canal irrigation, taking the total area receiving assured canal water to nearly 13,000 acres.
Around Rs. 38 crore has been spent on reconstructing and concrete lining approximately 25 kilometres of the two channels, substantially enhancing their water-carrying efficiency and ensuring reliable water supply to agricultural fields. The improved channels are expected to minimise seepage losses, allow canal water to reach tail-end areas efficiently and provide uninterrupted irrigation to farmers across 15 villages, including Jugial, Madhopur and Ranipur. The project has also made it possible to cultivate land that had remained barren and rocky for years due to the lack of dependable irrigation.
Goyal said the successful completion of the project demonstrates the government’s commitment to expanding canal irrigation despite initial doubts over its feasibility. By providing farmers with assured canal water, the initiative not only offers long-term relief to the farming community but also marks a significant step towards conserving Punjab’s groundwater resources.
The minister said the state government has undertaken large-scale construction and rehabilitation of canals and watercourses across Punjab. As a result, utilisation of the state’s allocated canal water for irrigation has increased from 26 per cent to nearly 80 per cent, with a target of raising it further to 86 per cent in the coming years.
Reviewing the restoration work at Madhopur Headworks, Goyal said the department carried out repairs on a war footing after the extensive damage caused by the floods of August 27, 2025. Protective embankments of about 500 metres each were constructed on both sides of the headworks, while a temporary ring bundh helped restore full-capacity water supply to the canals of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir from October 1, 2025. He said all 54 gates have been modernised and made electrically operated, while the three damaged gates were reconstructed with a new design. Around Rs. 50 crore has been spent on the restoration and modernisation works. He further said Rs. 3.61 crore has been spent on lining 17 kilometres of watercourses, helping conserve water and ensure canal supplies reach tail-end farmers more effectively.
On the state’s monsoon preparedness, the Water Resources Minister said all strengthening and repair works at vulnerable flood-prone locations identified after last year’s floods have been completed. He assured that the Punjab Government is fully prepared to deal with any flood situation and urged people not to panic, stating that all necessary preventive measures are in place.
Leave feedback about this