Jammu, Apr 26 : The Administrative Council (AC) chaired by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has given its approval for the construction and improvement of Malla Khul in the Beerwah area of District Budgam, amounting to Rs. 24.84 crore. The project will be funded under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) programme, with a funding pattern of 90:10. The scheme is expected to irrigate a cultivable command area of 1725 hectares during Kharief season and 665 hectares during Rabi season, benefiting 26 villages in the Budgam district.
The decision will enable the repair of the dilapidated canal and prevent leakages and overflow. The scheme will run on gravity, with a discharge of 2.52 Cumecs and a benefit-cost ratio of 4.98:1. The construction of the scheme is expected to generate 110458 mandays of skilled and 441831 mandays of unskilled labour in the area. The decision is a long-awaited solution to the irrigation problem in the area and will lead to the conversion of rain-fed farming to irrigated farming. Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, Advisor to the Lieutenant Governor, Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary, J&K, and Mandeep Kumar Bandhari, Principal Secretary to Lieutenant Governor, also attended the meeting.
