The Hindu : Karnataka News : ‘Substandard work turned out in Bhadra canal project’

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Aug 01, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka

‘Substandard work turned out in Bhadra canal project’

Staff Correspondent

Farmers’ leader says adequate quantity of cement, steel not used
Rs. 150 crore more sought for the modernisation work of the canal

DAVANGERE: C. Narasimhappa, president of the Bharatiya Raitha Okkuta, has alleged that substandard work was being turned out in the modernisation of Bhadra canals, which was going on for the past few months.

Prof. Narasimhappa told presspersons here on Tuesday that he was surprised over the statement of a few top officials of the Irrigation Department that steel and cement need not be used throughout the stretch of the channel.

He said even a lay man understood that a concrete structure could not be built without using iron and cement.

Prof. Narasimhappa said the Government agreed to take up Bhadra canal modernisation work after a great hue and cry.

The Government had allocated Rs. 800 crore for the project.

The project was taken up 40 years after the canal was built.

If the work was not carried out using required iron and cement, canals would not last even for a few more years and Rs. 800 crore would go waste.

Structures crumbling

He said he had observed that the agencies that were given the contract had not used adequate quantity of iron and cement.

As a result, structures built as part of the modernisation work were crumbling. He said farmers at many places had stopped the agencies from continuing the work and they had protested over substandard work.

Prof. Narasimhappa said he had met some senior officials of the Irrigation Department and they reportedly told him that there was no need to put reinforcement using iron and cement all through the canals and only where there was black soil and loose soil, reinforcement using iron and cement was required.

He said he had an argument with them for a few hours in the presence of Davangere district in-charge minister Ravindranath and Davangere MP Siddeshwar.

More funds sought

He said he had met Minister for Water Resources K.S. Eshwarappa along with Mr. Ravindranath and Mr. Siddeshwar and appealed to him to release Rs. 150 crore more for the project so that reinforcement using sufficient iron and cement could be laid. The Minister assured him that he would sanction after consulting technical expects.

Bharatiya Raitha Okkuta would again apprise the Minister of the shortcomings in the modernisation works during the Minister’s visit to Davangere on August 5.

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