Keonjhar: Kanpur major irrigation project which was conceptualised on river Baitararni at Basudevpur in Keonjhar district some 40 years ago, is nowhere near completion although crores of rupees has been pumped into the project.
According to official claims, 85 per cent of the dam work, 72 per cent of spillway and 51 per cent of the canal work of the ambitious project have been completed. Locals have expressed concern over the inordinate delays in the execution of the project.
Three chief ministers had laid the foundation stone for the project on separate occasions, but the project, scheduled to be completed by December 2019, has not been completed as yet.
It was claimed that 47709 hectares in 236 villages under Champua, Patana, Keonjhar and Joda blocks would be irrigated after the project is completed. The biggest hindrance to the project is the land acquisition process which has not begun till now. But multiple issues of the displaced people have not been resolved so far. Although many oustees have been compensated, the officers have not resolved all their rehabilitation and resettlement issues.
As many as 177 project oustees have demanded land in exchange of their land, but the issue has not been settled so far.
Notably, 3869 people were affected by the project. Of them, 676 had demanded land titles, but 325 were provided pattas. The remaining 351 people are yet to be provided land titles. While 2014 persons have been paid compensation, about 3193 families are yet to be compensated.
Meanwhile, Keonjahr Nagarika Manch here alleged the ongoing construction work on the main canal and the spillway is faulty. It accused the water resources department of being apathetic to early completion of the work.
“This irrigation project will greatly push agriculture. Thousands of famers will benefit from it. Apart from paddy, vegetables and other crops can be raised. The department is not keen on taking expeditious steps for its completion. Famers will be forced to resort to agitation, if no measures are taken,” warned Sumant Tripathy, member of Utthan Foundation.
When contacted, project executive engineer Bidyadhar Mishra said Rs 1581 crore has been spent on the project since 2014. The project was estimated at Rs 2438.29 crore in 2016 and its deadline set for 2019 is likely to be extended and its cost has escalated several fold so far, he added.
PNN