RANJHA: 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 facility to 42,766 hectares of land of six rural municipalities in Kohalpur municipality and Nepalgunj sub-metropolitan city in Banke district.    
Sandesh Poudel, engineer of the project, shared that out of Rs 830 million allocated for the Sikta Irrigation Project for the current fiscal year, over Rs 760 million has been spent as of December, 2023.    
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, Poudel shared.    
Works relating to Daduwa section canal is underway at present, he said. The project initiated in FY 2005/06 is expected to be completed by FY 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 faced by the project for timely completion is budget deficit, besides problems in distribution of compensation for those whose land were acquired for the project. -- RSS