DW BUREAU / Chandigarh The Punjab Government is ready to evaluate the Kandhi Canal (Talwara-Balachaur) Project on technical parameters. Members of farmers' organizations today called on Cabniet Minister Mr. Bram Shanker Jimpa regarding some issues related to the construction of Kandi Canal (Talwara-Balachaur) Project to provide irrigation facilities to the Barani area of ??Kandi. Assuring that the demand of the farmers would be considered on technical grounds, the Cabinet Minister Mr. Bram Shanker Jimpa, in the presence of MLA Tanda Jasbir Singh Raja Gill, said that it was the priority of the Punjab Government to address the issues related to Punjab keeping in view of public interest. He said that Kandi Canal originating from Mukerian Hydel Channel to Balachaur along with hills. This canal was constructed in two phases to provide irrigation facilities to Barani fields of Kandi area. He said that this canal covers 19867 hectares of 215 villages of Hoshiarpur district and providing irrigation facilities. The Cabinet Minister said that Kandi Canal Stage-2 stretch is around 60 to 130 km, which has been constructed from Hoshiarpur to Balachaur. The canal irrigates 16270 hectares of Barani Area in 146 villages of Hoshiarpur district and 13257 hectares of Barani Area in 72 villages of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district. Divulging further, the Minister said that the lining of Kandi Stage-1 had been damaged with the passage of time so the department were decided to laid new concrete lining with HDEP Film replacing the old structure. He said that the work of stage-1 of concrete relining of Kandi canal was completed by R.D.-0 to about 32 kms and remaining work from RD 32 to 47 Km is underway. Notably, this work has been ceased by the residents of the adjoining villages, they were demanding that concrete lining should not be done on the beds of the canal. They are demanding that the thought of the HDEP Film lining should be dropped as this may cause environmental issues like stoppage of water recharging which will further deplete the ground water graph. They said that the lining would lead to further aggregate the problem of water shortage in the villages. The Minister said that besides human beings, all sectors, be it agriculture or industry, need water, thus our government would take decisions after considering the new as well as old project at the technical level and will pay special attention towards the needs and interests of the area/regions. (editor@dailyworld.in)