N.K. Premachandran, MP, has sent a letter to the Minister of Water Resources against the move to shift the Kallada Irrigation Project (KIP) circle office and annexes.
“Stopping the operations and shifting the offices to other places will affect the functioning of the project. What we need now is consistent monitoring along with steps to ensure irrigatio. Preventing encroachments in the area, dam maintenance, protection and maintenance of canals, monitoring the reservoir water level and flood control are more important, the current move cannot be justified,” he said.
The KIP, the largest irrigation project in Kerala, had four circle offices, 22 division offices along with sub-division and section offices in the beginning. At present the project has two circle offices located in Kottarakara and Kollam, seven sub-division offices and 21 section offices. The Right Main Canal (RMC) of the project is 69.7 km long with its three branches running up to 53.1 km and it has been irrigating vast areas in Kallam, Pathanamthitta and Alapuzha districts. The Left Main Canal (LMC) is 56.01 km long with its three branches running up to 61.7 km.
“During summer months the canal water is released to solve drinking water shortage in all the three districts. Along with paddy other crops, including coconut, areca nut, banana, pepper and vegetables, are being cultivated in the area. Instead of shifting the offices, they should be operated in a more efficient manner,” Mr. Premachandran said.
