CHANDIGARH: Nearly 1.30 lakh trees and plants are likely to be felled for the construction of the proposed 150-km-long Malwa Canal, a flagship project of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. This canal is touted as the first to be built in Punjab post-Independence. The canal is proposed to be constructed on the left bank of the Rajasthan Feeder Canal, land that officially belongs to the Rajasthan Government.Estimated to cost Rs 2,300 crore, the 12-foot-deep canal will originate from the Harike headworks on the Sutlej in Ferozepur district. It is designed to cater to the irrigation needs of nearly 2 lakh acres in southern Punjab, running parallel to the left bank of the Rajasthan Feeder Canal.Sources revealed that the matter was recently discussed in a meeting chaired by the Punjab Chief Secretary. Senior officials stated that the state Forest Department had received an application to provide the No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the project. The department has now submitted its observations to the state government, which will take a final decision.A joint inspection team from the Forest Department and Water Resources Department had earlier visited the canal alignment site. Following this, the Forest Department observed: “As per the recorded forest area, 49.2164 hectares of forest land, 614 trees, and 10,200 plants in the forest area will be affected.”The department also noted that the proposed canal will be constructed on the left bank of the Rajasthan Feeder, which officially belongs to the Rajasthan Government. This land is not covered by the 1958 Punjab Government notification that declared all roads, rails, and canal sides as protected forests.The Forest Department further highlighted that, under an agreement with the Rajasthan Government, extensive plantations were carried out by Punjab along the Rajasthan Feeder Canal from 2016 to 2018.
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