Kaptipada: Improper location and defective construction of a dam project at JS Jamudiha panchayat under Kaptipada block in Mayurbhanj district have rendered it useless for agricultural needs.
Local farmers alleged that Rs 40 lakh spent on the project has gone down the drain when they are in distress for want of rain in the current kharif season.
Villages in JS Jamudiha panchayat are located at the foothills of Similipal. The farmlands are in hilly and forested region. Years ago, farmers used to press for damming up the water rolling down from the hills and using it for farming purpose later.
Considering the demands of the farmers, the minor irrigation project initiated steps to dam up the water of Thakthaki river that flew down from Similipal.
The minor irrigation department built the dam at Kantiali village in 2015-16 at a cost of Rs 40 lakh. When its work was undertaken, local farmers had found its location, construction and scheme faulty.
Locals said vast swathes of farmlands have been out of its irrigation coverage.
After repeated complaints about the issue, the check dam was renovated in 2018-19 at a cost of Rs 15 lakh, but it still failed to deliver water to targeted area, rued farmers.
Farmers like Pradip Nayak, Bhagirathi Nayak and Jagannath Pal said that contractors did not carry out the renovation properly.
It may be mentioned here that the farmers drew attention of the Collector, the Vigilance and the executive engineer of the minor irrigation to the faulty location of the dam in 2018. But there has been no investigation into their allegations, the farmers fumed.
In the current kharif season, there is little rainfall to sustain paddy in the area while the dam is useless in saving the crops, Pal said.
The trio lamented that hectares of farmland would have no crops this year too when the Rs 40 lakh dam is unable to deliver water.
Locals warned that if no step was taken to make the dam useful for farming, they will take legal recourse.
PNN
