Baripada: The government spends crores of rupees towards implementation of welfare programmes. The funds are meant to be used for socio-economic development, irrigation and drinking water facility for tribals. Howevrt, but many projects are either lying defunct or funds misutilised or unutilised in Mayurbhanj district.
Unutilised funds to the tune of about Rs 3 crore allocated for some projects returned to the government amid allegations that officials of the irrigation department neglected execution of drinking water projects in the district.
According to reports, drinking water and irrigation are two priority areas in the district. To expand coverage of irrigation facility and drinking water, the minor irrigation department took some special initiatives in 2012-13. The department drew up an outlay of Rs 4 crore to take up eight projects pertaining to drinking water and irrigation.
The district even received accolades for such initiative then. However, the ground reality is different now what with many facing water crisis. A drinking water project was taken up at Sitakund stream at the foothills of Similipal. Besides, the project aimed to supply water to farmlands. Pipelines laid there have been damaged while farmers fail to irrigate their land.
Two of the eight projects have been made operational while the rest are lying incomplete. The fact was also admitted by executive engineer of minor irrigation division Mahesh Prasad Patnaik. He added that four projects under Baripada irrigation division and two under Jashipur divisions have been defunct. “Two other projects are utilised for irrigation,” he added.
Six such projects were taken up at Madurajodi, Digidiga, Kendujhari and Gobindapur under Shyamakhunta block; Marangtandi under Kuliana block; Anlakuda under Suliapada block. Two other projects were started at Kumari and Asaki under Jashipur irrigation division.
Out of a total of Rs 4 crore estimated, only Rs 99,26,500 was utilised in the current year for these projects. All the funds were allocated under Centre-sponsored IAP. It was learnt that as the department failed to utilise the funds, the money returned to the government.
Locals have raised doubts over completion of the projects. Local resident like Mamuni Singh, Budhu Singh and Laxman Singh lamented that the drinking water projects could not come to their use and they had to suffer due to water crisis.“Our drinking water problem could not be sorted out by these projects. We trek two km to bring water from a river or a tube well,” they added. PNN