The Sikta Irrigation Project has witnessed 92 per cent physical progress in the current fiscal year 2023/24.

The national pride project aims to provide irrigation to 42,766 hectares of land in six rural municipalities, Kohalpur Municipality and Nepalgunj Sub-metropolitan City in Banke district.

Sandesh Poudel, engineer of the project, shared that out of over Rs 830 million capital expenditure allocated for the Sikta Irrigation Project for the current fiscal year, over Rs 760 million have been spent as of December, 2023.

During this fiscal year, contract was managed for the remaining works of eastern main canal and Goha section of canal while land was acquired for the construction of canal at Prasenipur towards the western main canal, Guruwagaun section canal and other various sections, said Poudel.

The budget ceiling has been increased for the Sikta Irrigation Project in the upcoming fiscal year 2024/25. Over Rs 1.6 billion has been allocated for the project for the upcoming fiscal year against over Rs 1.3 billion for the current one, he shared.

Works relating to the Daduwa section canal are underway at present, he said. The project began in the 2005/06 fiscal year and is expected to be completed by fiscal year 2032/33 as per the revised master plan.

The total cost of the Project in accordance with the revised master plan is over Rs 52 billion.

The major challenge facing the project for timely completion is a low budget allocated by the government, besides problems faced in the distribution of compensation to those whose land was acquired for the project.