Champua/Joda: The Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) slammed the state government over inordinate delay in execution of the Kanpur irrigation project in Joda area of Keonjhar, Friday.
“As the project work gets delayed, its cost overruns with every passing year. Initially, its cost was estimated at Rs 86 crore while it has reached Rs 2,438 crore,” BJP chief whip Mohan Majhi said.
A delegation of the state BJP led by its farmers’ wing president Pradip Purohit visited the project site Friday. They held discussions with officials of the irrigation department. The BJP leaders pointed out that crores of rupees are being pumped into the major irrigation project, but the latter is nowhere near completion.
They said that the project was supposed to be completed by 2022, but a lot of work has to be done here.
“35 years have passed since the project work was started. The state government is responsible for the inordinate delay,” Majhi lamented.
He added, a team of officials who were present at the site assured the project will be completed in next two and a half years.
The BJP leaders said the issue will be raised in the State Assembly to expedite the work of the major irrigation project.
They warned that if expeditious steps are not taken, they will take to the streets in coming days.
PNN