Manawar (Madhya Pradesh): The arbitrariness of a Kolkata-based company has raised alarms in Manawar town of Dhar district as a service road was dug up without seeking any prior permission from Narmada Valley Development Authority (NVDA) division no 30.
In view of pipeline laying work, employees commenced digging work along the service road which comes under the third phase canal of the Omkareshwar project without seeking any approvals. This unauthorised activity led to immediate intervention from NVDA officials, halting the ongoing work promptly at the scene.
The ongoing construction work of the water purification plant is being done under the Lower Narmada Group Water Supply Scheme (under Jal Jeevan Mission Madhya Pradesh Jal Nigam) by the company.
The significant project aimed at benefiting over 3 lakh people across 116 villages, with an estimated cost of Rs 302.60 crore. Despite concerns raised by the Manawar administration, there has been a lack of decisive action against the company and its contractors involved in supplying Gelignite.
Another major concern is the use of blasting techniques by the company which uses thousands of gelignite sticks despite a ban imposed by the government. The ban was imposed following eleven people were killed and 63 injured after an explosion leading to a blaze at a firecracker factory in Harda town on February 6, 2024.
This reckless disregard for safety protocols has left locals anxious, especially farmers who report being coerced into allowing well-digging on their lands using gelignite blasting. This has prompted questions about the motives behind such leniency, with suspicions of potential profit-driven decisions overshadowing public welfare.
