Chief Minister (CM) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur Thursday held an important meeting of the Irrigation Department and assigned them new tasks to introduce a modern irrigation system in the province. He directed the construction of artificial dams to make maximum barren land cultivable in the province besides introducing a system of cluster tube wells for artificial dams. The research process in the agriculture sector should be made productive, the CM said. Making the province self-sufficient in agricultural commodities is the top priority of the provincial government, the Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur told the meeting. For this purpose, he said important projects should be worked on to irrigate millions of acres of barren land in the southern districts. He said that the CRBC Lift Canal Project is a very important project in this regard and realistic data regarding small dams and command areas should be compiled in the province. He told the meeting that development projects capable of generating maximum revenue in the irrigation sector should be given first priority. He said that steps should be taken to provide maximum facilities to the farmers and the GIS system should be used for the collection of water and other related taxes. The Chief Minister said that punishments and fines should be increased to prevent water theft and other illegal activities. The irrigation department should pay special attention to digitize all its affairs, Ali Amin Gandapur told the meeting. Set timelines in contracts for all works department development projects and penalties should be imposed on the contractor in case of non-progress on the contracts within the stipulated timelines, the CM warned. He said that irrigation departments should ensure judicious use of their available resources. In the meeting, the chief minister was also briefed on the department’s administrative affairs, development projects, reforms and future plans.