MP: Collector raps officials for delay in digging wells

The Alirajpur district collector has issued a show- cause notice to the sub-engineers of the public health department and officers to explain delay in constructing wells and also directed them to dig 2,100 wells till May 31, failing which, each officer will have to compensate the farmers.

The Alirajpur district collector has issued a show- cause notice to the sub-engineers of the public health department and officers to explain delay in constructing wells and also directed them to dig 2,100 wells till May 31, failing which, each officer will have to compensate the farmers.

Health department staff work to complete construction of a well at Alirajpur district on Thursday. (HT photo)

Most part of the cultivated land is in hilly and sandy area of the district. There are a total 7,225 wells in the district which are the main source of irrigation. The farmers had suffered huge losses due to lack of irrigation.

A total of 2,100 wells were proposed to be dug between 2012 and 2014 to irrigate 21,000 hectares of land in the tribal district.

The wells were proposed under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) and Kapil Dhara Yojana of the government.

While talking to the Hindustan Times, collector Sanjay Verma said, “This is dilly-dallying and apathy of the concerning department. I will take strict action against the officers if the work will not be completed within the given time frame. First, I will suspend the concerning officers and then, the amount of the loss will be deducted from their salaries,” he added.

Verma further said that the officers responsible for the negligence are CEO janpad panchyat, assistant engineer and sub-engineers (Rural Engineering Services) and secretary village panchayat.

The salary will be deducted according to the earning of farmer from the well. “If the well was scheduled to be completed in 2013 and is not completed till now, the responsible person will have pay Rs 15,000 per crop. Usually tribals grow two crops per years, hence Rs 30,000 per year,” said the collector.

The collector further said that the amount of loss of the farmers will be distributed among the responsible authorities and recoveries will be made after May 31.