BJP slams Govt for no budget support to irrigation project

BHUBANESWAR: The State Government came under criticism for not making any provision in the supplementary budget for the mega irrigation project in Bargarh district, announced by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in October.“With no budgetary support to the Gangadhar Meher Lift Canal System in the supplementary budget placed in the Assembly on Thursday, the announcement of the Chief Minister has turned out to be an election gimmick,” said BJP MLA from Paikmal, Pradip Purohit.
The Chief Minister’s October 16 announcement is not so much a programme to improve the irrigation potential of the district but a gimmick to gain vote, he said.

The State Government by not making a token provision for the proposed irrigation project has cheated the people of the district which has been witnessing a spate of suicides by farmers due to crop loss following back to back disasters like scanty rainfall, pest attack and unseasonal rains. This is a disrespect to Gangadhar Meher, a renowned poet of the State, he said.

Launching a scathing attack on the Chief Minister for hastily announcing the project ahead of the Bijepur by-election knowing fully well about the tight fiscal condition of the State, Purohit said people of the Assembly constituency will give a fitting reply to the ruling party.He further targeted the State Government for not allocating any fund for newly formed Bijepur Notified Area Council (NAC).  The BJP legislator from the western Odisha district said his party will raise the twin issues in the winter session of the Assembly.

Announcing the `1,250 crore irrigation project in October, the Chief Minister had said the project will irrigate a gross command area of about 32,000 hectares including 25,600 hectares in kharif and 7,000 hectares in rabi season. The project proposed to pump water from Baragarh main canal through an 18 km long underground rising main pipeline from which irrigation will be provided through underground pipeline based irrigation distribution system.

BJP allegations  baseless: BJD
Bhubaneswar: The BJD on Saturday said the Gangadhar Meher Lift Canal System announced by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is being implemented from the provision made for mega lift irrigation projects in the general budget for 2017-18. Describing the allegation made by the BJP that no provision for the project has been made in the supplementary budget as baseless, Law Minister Pratap Jena said preliminary work for the project has already started.

Financial provision for the project will be made from J1246.56 crore provided for mega lift irrigation projects in the general budget for 2017-18, he said. The Minister said, the Gangadhar Meher Lift Canal System will create irrigation potential of 32,000 hectares in Bijepur, Sohela and Barpali areas. Stating that BJP’s allegation is only a ploy to confuse the people in view of the by-poll to the Bijepur Assembly constituency, the Minister said the party will not succeed in its design.

The BJP will never succeed in its attempt to win the by-poll, Jena said and added that the party’s base in the constituency has weakened further. Besides, there is also necessity to make budget provision after announcement of a Notified Area Council (NAC) as the required funds can be provided from the budget of the Urban Development Department. Bijepur was announced as a NAC as it fulfilled all the criteria, he said.