Drainage scheme delayed

Statesman News Service

MALDA, March 3. — The contractors, who were issued work orders by the local irrigation and waterways department for the Lakshmipur drainage scheme, planned for the rural belt, are yet to begin work. Officials said the main reason behind the delay was that the government’s land acquisition department has not acquired a single plot of land for the proposed project yet. A few days ago, the state irrigation minister inaugurated the work at Duarbasini in the English Bazaar block. Land acquisition officials have reportedly started the process of land acquisition, but are finding it difficult to issue any notice fearing objections from the mango orchard owners in the zone. The plan involves the construction of a 7-km long canal linking the Bhagirathi river, to drain stagnant water from the Lakshmipur area during the monsoons. It also states that the canal would be regulated by sluice gates that will help in conserving water that the farmers can utilise for irrigation purpose. At present, farmers use water from the Lakshmipur bil for irrigation purposes. The farmers fear that if all water from the region is drained out, they would face difficulties in irrigating their crops. Some people are also against the government acquiring the orchard land for the drainage project, in exchange of a compensation. “The district magistrate had told me that there would be no problem in acquiring lands for the implementation of this project,” Mr Samar Roy, the local MLA who conceived the project, said. Irrigation officials fear that if anyone moves Court regarding this issue, the entire project will be suspended. The district administration had been forced to stall the project, including the drainage project of the English Bazaar town owing to litigation almost a decade ago. #