Nabard sanctions loan for embankment repair

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Jan 15: The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has sanctioned a loan from its Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF XIII) for strengthening and repairing embankments in Malda.

According to the irrigation department, a total of Rs. 5 crore has been sanctioned by NABARD for implementing four schemes. The executive engineer of the irrigation department in Malda, Mr S Misra, said: “The escalated cost of four out of five of the projects has been sanctioned from the RIDF-XIII recently”.

“We hope that the fifth scheme will be sanctioned soon”, he added.

The irrigation department has planned to strengthen the existing retired embankments, no. four, five, six and seven, on the bank of the river Ganga in Kaliachak II with an inspecting road on them connecting other marginal embankments in Manikchak.

Besides, the department has planned to take up at Itakhola - Anandipur village in English Bazaar, as well as Kuriadaha and the Kanchanbill circuit embankment in Gazol.

“All four schemes are under progress. Within 29 days we will be able to float tenders for these works,” said Mr S Misra.

Due to the model code of conduct for the Sujapur by-poll, the tender process of many schemes were delayed in last months.

Last year, due to the model code of conduct for rural polls, the irrigation department in Malda could not complete many flood and anti-erosion projects in this district after floating tenders.

The irrigation department officials guess that the progress of flood protection work may be affected due to the parliamentary election planned for 2009.

When the irrigation minister came to visit the Ganga during monsoon last year, he had proposed that the District Magistrate hold an all political party meeting to adopt a resolution on the proposed ninth retired embankment in Kaliachak-II on the left bank of the river Ganga.

The irrigation department has sent a reminder to the district magistrate, urging him to call a meeting, as building the ninth retired embankment is an imperative measure for flood protection in this district.