Konar Irrigation Project Fiasco: Rats proved innocent, 4 engineers suspended for negligence

Ranchi: Finally the rats appeared to have emerged innocently after being initially blamed for the damage caused to the canal of the Konar Irrigation Project which got damaged in less than 24 hours of being inaugurated by Chief Minister Raghubar Das as four engineers associated with the project have been suspended.

The three-member committee which was formed to probe into the incident in its report said that the incident was caused due to closure of scape regulator due to which the pressure of water increased and the weaker section of the canal got broken.

The report does not talk about any major loss and said that repair work has been started which might take longer to complete. The water resources department had formed a three-member probe committee under Chief engineer Sanaullah which went to the spot, inquired into the incident and submitted its report.

The committee found that at the damaged site 600 meters below there was an escape channel which was kept open due to ensure normal flow of water but in the night due to mischief or some other reason the gate got closed. Due to the closure of the channel the water level increased and due to rising pressure the weaker area got damaged. The report said that 28-30 meter canal area has been damaged and crops on 10-15 acres of land had got underwater.

The bigger question which now emerges that after the release of the water why sensitive spots were not looked. The trial of running the water in the canal was done on July 30 during which everything was normal and when officially the water was released for irrigation than why probe was not conducted. Built at a cost of more than Rs 2200 crore this project was to provide water for irrigation in 85 villages of Hazaribagh, Giridih and Bokaro districts of the state.