Additional Rs. 330 million allocated for Sikta

By Siraj Khan Nepalgunj, May 31: The Government of Nepal has prioritised the Sikta Irrigation Project under construction in Banke in the budget for the fiscal year 2022/23. 

The national pride project now has a total budget of Rs. 1.88 billion. Of this amount, Rs. 1.55 billion had been allocated in the fiscal year 2021/22 and Rs. 330 million for the coming year 2022/23, according to project chief Santosh Kaini. 

“This increase in the project’s budget shows the priority the government has awarded to it,” he said, adding, “This budget will be spent expeditiously to complete the work on the project.”

The budget allocated will be spent on the maintenance and operation of the western canal of the project as well as the construction of the eastern canal and the construction of Guruwa village branch canal, said Kaini.

The project informed that a study would be carried out for the construction of the 44 to 53-kilometre 

eastern canal to Narainapur and work would begin on the Guruwa branch canal.

Similarly, it has stated that repair of the western canal and preservation of irrigated area would be prioritised.

Farmers excited

Local farmers are also excited about the additional money provided by the government to the Sikta Irrigation Project. 

They say that the increased budget will help speed up work on the project and provide water to their fields. Chairman of Narainapur Rural Municipality Ishtiyaq Ahmad Shah said that the new budget showed that the federal government cared for the farmers of the region. 

To date, more than Rs. 15 billion has been spent on the Sikta Project, which started 15 years ago with the objective to irrigate 43,000 hectares of land in Banke.