G S Asgotra
Early Times Report
Jammu, Feb 27: Hundreds of tonnes of garbage including debris and construction material is being dumped in Ranbir canal everyday at Nai Basti and Irrigation and Flood Control department is in deep slumber of indifference.
The violators have openly been dumping garbage in the canal and a cursory glance in Nai Basti area, exposes the tall claims of Irrigation department, officials of who have only issued advertisements and notices in newspapers instead of lodging FIR's against the violators.
The Water Resources Act 2010, provides that if someone pollutes, encroaches the water body, the department concerned has right to book the violators but the same Act is brazenly being violated each day and it seems that the lower rung field staff is hand in glove with violators.
A farmer from Bishnah, Des Raj informed Early Times that the 60 kilometers long canal had been irrigating thousands of acres of agricultural land of border villages of Bishnah, Arnia but since last few years due to failure of department to properly de-silt the canal, the water does not reach the far off villages. "On one hand the department has not been de-silting the canal properly, on the other it has also failed to tighten noose against the violators who have been dumping garbage in the canal. These violators can be easily caught but officials of department are indifferent to this open dumping", he said.
Notwithstanding the order of Chief Engineer of Irrigation department Jammu, in which he had directed to general public that the those found involved in violation of water resources Act, would be penalized due to the involvement of department lower rung employees with the violators, the notice has failed to change anything on ground.
A shopkeeper of Nai Basti pleading anonymity informed that few days back, one of the shopkeepers started constructing walls on irrigation land. "Someone lodged a complaint and for merely a show off, a team of officials visited the area and partially demolished the structure, but no case was registered", he alleged.
He further alleged that the lower rung employees have been harassing only those shopkeepers, who have not been greasing their palms as many structures were also raised last year and no action was taken against those also. "This shows that a big nexus is operating between the violators and officers of the department", he alleged. |
