Sambalpur: The renovation of various canals in this district has come under a cloud of suspicion. Many have alleged the use of sub-standard materials in renovation while others pointed out that there has been rampant misappropriation of funds. All these complaints assume significance with the guard wall of Sasan canal collapsing at many places even after renovation.
Canals like Sasan, Humatail, and Paramanpur, emerging from the Hirakud reservoir are being renovated and concretised for fair distribution of water to the farmlands. The renovations have been taken up from last year after the Odisha government sanctioned Rs 123 crore for the projects. The renovation of canals is being done under the direct supervision of Odisha Construction Corporation (OCC) while an agency from Bhubaneswar is implementing the projects.
However, farmers have alleged large-scale irregularities and misappropriation of funds during renovation. They have lodged complaints with the officials of the Irrigation department but their pleas are yet to be addressed. Farmers alleged that the officials are yet to take any action regarding their complaints. Sources informed us that the renovation of the three canals is being supervised by a junior engineer of the OCC and a technical team. However, they also did not have anything to say regarding the complaints. Farmer Debendra Pradhan alleged that most of his clan is aware of the sub-standard work. At times they have even protested wherever work has not been done in a proper manner. He pointed out that despite assurances from the agency that they will do the work in a proper manner, no concrete step has been taken. Pradhan alleged that the shoddy work can easily be ascertained by the collapse of the concrete and guard wall of Sasan canal when water was released last year. He stated that proper supervision needs to be done, otherwise, the entire money will go down the drain and the efforts of the government will be of no use. “Unless the canals are renovated properly, farmers will not get water for irrigation,” Pradhan pointed out. Farmers fear that once the authorities release water into the canals this year, the shoddy work of the agency will once again be exposed. They demanded a probe into the spending of the fund allocated by the government. When contacted, an official of the Irrigation department said that it will conduct verification after the completion of the renovation and submit a report. He added that the implementing agency has been warned after complaints lodged by the farmers.