PESHAWAR, Apr 04 (APP):Chief Minister (CM) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur Thursday held an important meeting of the Irrigation Department and assigned them new tasks to introduce a modern irrigation system in the province.
He directed the construction of artificial dams to make maximum barren land cultivable in the province besides introducing a system of cluster tube wells for artificial dams. The research process in the agriculture sector s
hould be made productive, the CM said.
Making the province self-sufficient in agricultural commodities is the top priority of the provincial government, the Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur told the meeting. For this purpose, he said important projects s
hould be worked on to irrigate millions of acres of barren land in the southern districts.
He said that the CRBC Lift Canal Project is a very important project in this regard and realistic data regarding small dams and command areas s
hould be compiled in the province. He told the meeting that development projects capable of generating maximum revenue in the irrigation sector s
hould be given first priority.
He said that steps s
hould be taken to provide maximum facilities to the farmers and the GIS system s
hould be used for the collection of water and other related taxes. The Chief Minister said that punishments and fines s
hould be increased to prevent water theft and other illegal activities.
The irrigation department s
hould pay special attention to digitize all its affairs, Ali Amin Gandapur told the meeting. Set timelines in contracts for all works department development projects and penalties s
hould be imposed on the contractor in case of non-progress on the contracts within the stipulated timelines, the CM warned.
He said that irrigation departments s
hould ensure judicious use of their available resources.
In the meeting, the chief minister was also briefed on the department’s administrative affairs, development projects, reforms and future plans.