Social impact assessment report on Malwa canal submitted by GNDU

The Social Impact Assessment Agency (SIA), Guru Nanak Dev University, has submitted a report on the Malwa canal to the Ludhiana authorities.

A GNDU team under Prof Rajesh Kumar, Principal Project Coordinator, and six subject experts have prepared the SIA Study Report of Land Acquisition by Government of Punjab, Water Resources Department (WRD) for the construction of the Malwa canal in the districts of Ferozepur, Faridkot and Sri Muktsar Sahib in Punjab.

It is being executed under Section 4.1 of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 (RFCTLARR Act, 2013).

Dr Jaspal Singh Sandhu, Vice-Chancellor, GNDU, handed over the canal study report to Kuljinder Singh, Executive Engineer, Estate, Ludhiana Canal Circle, Ludhiana, in the presence of officials from both organisations here on Monday during a special function organised in the office of the Vice-Chancellor.

Prof Jaspal Singh Sandhu said the report not only addresses the quantitative aspects of the proposed project but also delves deeply into the qualitative social dimensions that are increasingly relevant in today’s globalized world.

The purpose of the project is to provide canal water for irrigation needs of various villages such as Makhu, Jhamke, Zira, Talwandi Bhai, Mudki, Kot Kapura, Jaito, Doda, Bhullar, Mandi Bariwala, Lambi, Fatte Khera in the districts Ferozepur, Faridkot and Sri Muktsar Sahib.

The Malwa canal will also benefit water-scarce villages in Abohar and Fazilka districts of the state. The purpose of the canal is to provide additional drinking water to people in Ferozepur, Faridkot and Sri Muktsar Sahib, thereby augmenting rural infrastructure.

The 50-foot-wide and 12-foot-deep canal meanders through the three border districts of Ferozepur, Faridkot and Sri Muktsar Sahib in the state and covers an area of approximately 150 km long geographically almost parallel to the international boundary on the west side of Indian Punjab. The project seems to carry the potential of making a favourable impact on the socio-economic landscape of the entire region. Hereafter, the report will be evaluated by the Higher Power Committee set-up by the state government.

Prof Palwinder Singh, Dean Academic Affairs, Prof Karanjeet Singh Kahlon, Registrar, and Gagandeep Singh Dhillon, SDO, Estate, Ludhiana, were also present.