Gandhwani (Madhya Pradesh): Alleged negligence of Narmada Valley Development Authority (NVDA) is posing risk to the sowing in 10,566-hectares.
The farmers of the town and nearby villages are irked as despite paying Rs 60 per hectare for the facility either water is not reaching their field and whatever little amount is reaching their field is found to be contaminated.
Farmers alleged that the department released the water for the Man Dam without cleaning streams. Filth and garbage in the streams is contaminating the water meant for irrigation.
The situation on ground is posing risk to the mandate of the whole irrigation project- despite the fact that the NVDA has spent more than Rs 6 lakh for the cleaning of streams. The situation on ground raises major questions on the functioning of the authority as the task for which the lakhs of rupees were spent was never accomplished.
Mukut, a farmer from Jehri village and ex-sarpanch Kalu said that the filth and garbage are the reason due to which water is not reaching the streams. They demanded early action from the authority as it is delaying the sowing of seeds.
Vexed at the negligence of authority, industrialist and farmer Dwarika Gupta and Block Congress president Satpal Singh Barnala and farmers reached NVDA office and raised the issue with officials there.
Barnala also took up the matter with the MLA Umang Singhar over phone. MLA reprimanded the officials and ordered them to resolve the issue within two days.
NVDA sub-divisional officer SS Alawa said that garbage was removed from canal in the Karundia cement factory area. He assured that streams near Ambapura will be cleaned within two days.
He claimed that by releasing the water in streams the authority aims to improve the water table in the villages.
