The irrigation potential of 1.8 lakh hectare created by Narmada Valley projects during last five years has capacity to change the agriculture economy of the state if maximum of the created potential could be utilized. Keeping this in view the NVDA has zeroing in to take 'Canal water to the fields,' informed the Vice Chairman of NVDA while giving details of the strategy in this regard. He said that efforts are multidirectional. NVDA is executing a work plan to maintain, strengthen and technically uplift the Canal network under various projects.

The minister for major irrigation, Mr Ponnala Lakshmaiah, said on Thursday that tenders wo-uld be soon called to launch a water project to supply Godavari water to seven mandals in Mulug division. The minister said government was keen to fulfil the wish of the division peoples' long-pending demand for supply of Godavari water.

After 150 years, irrigation canals in the Krishna delta are going in for major renovation. The works actually started this summer may take another four years to complete. The Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy would launch the Krishna delta modernisation works at Avanigadda on June 6. He will be arriving here by helicopter from Guntur district at 10 am.

The state government has sanctioned 12 minor irrigation schemes of four districts costing Rs 13.78 crore. All the four districts including Jabalpur, Seoni, Katni and Narsinghpur are in Jabalpur division. On completion, these schemes would bring 1328.50 hectare area under irrigation. The Water Resources Department has sanctioned six schemes of Jabalpur district, three of Seoni, two of Katni and one scheme of Narsinghpur district.

The Income-Tax department's investigation wing has told the Himachal Pradesh government that it may have awarded two hydel projects worth Rs 6,500 crore in Kinnaur dstrict to a ghost company which took funding from an Adani group firm. In a report to principal secretary (power), the Shimla office of the I-T department has questioned the antecedent of Brakel Kinnaur Power (P) Ltd and doubted the ability of the company's alleged parent, Brakel Corporation NV, to handle the Jangi Thopan and Thopan Jowari projects.

The state-run NTPC, which has launched the capacity addition programme of 25,000 mw, for the 11th Plan, has already started preparations to add nearly 7,000 mw in the hydro sector by the end of the 12th Plan (2016-17). NTPC's investment in the eight upcoming hydro projects would be around Rs 35,000 crore.

An action committee of the people affected by the Mirani dam in Kech district announced on Tuesday its plan for observing a token hunger strike from Wednesday in protest against government's failure to compensate the affected people. The chairman of the committee, Mr Chakar Rind, at a news conference said floods in June, 2007, caused losses in the Kech district, but despite promises, the government had failed to compensate the affected people. Although one year had passed the government had not taken any step to solve their problems, he added.

The growers whose lands lie at the tail-end of Sarhal Branch blocked Sanghar-Khipro road on Tuesday in protest against shortage of water, and accused the irrigation officials of selling off their share of water to influential farmers. The protesters said that no water had reached the tail-end of the canal for last 40 days. They had visited the SDO's office several times and informed him of the problem but to no avail, they said.

ARUNACHAL S LIQUID GOLD - II Work is on at full swing at Subansiri Lower