BJD pledges, farmers die: BJP

BHUBANESWAR: Coming Coming down heavily on the State Government over low irrigation potential created in the last 17 years, the State BJP on Thursday linked the rising number of farmer suicides to the Government’s failure to provide water to agricultural land.

In its successive election manifesto since 2000, the ruling BJD has been promising to increase irrigation potential. In the 2009 election manifesto, it had promised to provide irrigation facility to at least 35 of the agricultural land in each block across the State, but has miserably failed to keep its promise, State BJP general secretary Bhrugu Baxipatra told mediapersons here.“The State Government’s failure to keep its promise has resulted in farmers committing suicide due to crop loss,” Baxipatra said.
The BJP leader alleged that the Water Resources Department headed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is the most corrupt Department of Odisha Government where Percentage Commission (PC) practice is rampant.

While Chief Minister is asking district collectors to  stop PC, it is rampant in the Water Resources and Works Departments headed by him, he said. Baxipatra urged the Chief Minister publish a White Paper on the number contracts the departments were awarded through single tender and actual irrigation potential created so far.