Bhikangaon (Madhya Pradesh): Pipelines worth crores of rupees are lying incomplete and rotting in fields as Narmada Valley Development Authority’s (NVDA) ambitious Binjalwara Micro Lift Irrigation project has turned into a nightmare for local farmers.
The project, plagued by incomplete pipelines and unfinished pump houses, has failed to deliver water to agricultural fields. In Borgaon, farmer Gyanchand Dayaram reported that approximately 3k feet of pipeline work remains incomplete.
Pipes have been dumped in fields and left to deteriorate for three years due to alleged project mismanagement. The project's first pump house was reportedly completed two years ago, but farmers claim no water has reached their fields.
Farmers are now pinning their hopes on a crucial meeting scheduled for Monday at Daurwa Gram Panchayat. Project Executive Engineer
CB Tatwal has called the meeting from 12 noon to 3 pm, urging affected farmers to attend and register their complaints about the stalled project. ‘We have waited two years for water, but not a drop has reached our field,’ farmer Deepak Ramlal from Borgaon village said.
He explained that while a water distribution box was installed in his field, pipeline work was abandoned 3k feet away. Similar complaints came from Kadwaji Nandiya Kalda, whose 12 acres have remained dry for two years.
‘There is a box in my field, but no pipe or connection was made. Metal pipes are lying 300 feet away, but work stopped there,’ he said. They suspect the project exists only on paper.
Bharatiya Kisan Sangh's provincial youth coordinator Shyam Singh Pawar condemned the project as ‘a huge fraud on farmers.’ He warned of street protests if immediate solutions are not provided, accusing officials of protecting contractors while violating farmers' rights.
