Land given for drinking water project

Statesman News Service

MALDA, 9 OCT.: Despite availability of required land being a problem for setting up of any development project in Malda, several families have donated lands to a state government's department for setting up of drinking water supplying projects in the district. The Public Health Engineering (PHE) department has started seven drinking water schemes based on underground water in English Bazaar on the donated lands in 14 places where the department will set up tubewells and pump stations. Each family has donated nearly 14 to 15 cottah of land to the PHE recently for setting up the water projects in their areas. According to the executive engineer of the PHE Malda division, Mr Swapan Maitra, locals have donated 40 plots of land in Ratua I and II block and they are being used for builiding water supplying projects.Following the trend, residents of Manikchak block have started to donate land to the PHE, departmental officials said. The PHE officials have made an unofficial contract with the land owners which says that whichever family donates land to PHE, a member from their family will get a job in return. A senior engineer of the PHE said, the concerned family member will be working as an operator in the pumphouse under a contractor and would get al the facilities of that of a government employee. PHE department usually engages contractors for maintenance and supplying drinking water from pumphouses. But now the PHE officials have requested the contractors to appoint one member of the families who will donate their land.

Fulohar bank breached again
MALDA, 11 OCT.: A large part of an embankment breached again along the river Foluhar today due to severe erosion near Bhaluka Bazaar in Harishchandrapur. Since early Saturday the river had started eroding its banks due to fluctuation of the water level. However, since the water level was receding, there is no fear of flood right now, claimed the irrigation officials. Owing to incessant rain on Tuesday and Wednesday, the water level increased up to 27.65 metre from the usual 24.05 metre and started receding since Friday night, said Mr S Misra, the executive engineer of irrigation department.“We could not save the old embankment simply because of the severe river erosion due to fluctuation of its water level at the down stream of Bhaluka Bazaar,” Mr Misra said.It may be noted that another part of the same embankment was breached during mid-August in the upstream of Bhaluka Bazaar and flood waters inundated a large part of Harishchandrapur and Ratua block areas. Later the irrigation department had also built a 300 metre long barricade as a flood preventive measure where the embankment got breached earlier.The executive engineer, Mr Misra said the department would float tender soon to build a 300 metre long dyke where embankment was eroded away. According to irrigation officials, a scheme for permanent anti-erosion work has been taken up which would cover the 2 km bank line and the cost of the work has been estimated as Rs 9.85 crore at Bhaluka Bazaar with the financial assistance from NABARD. The district magistrate Mr Sridhar Ghosh has recommended the scheme and forwarded to the Jalpaiguri Divisional Commissioner recently. The scheme is waiting for approval of the authorities. ;SNS