Action against 'erring' CE likely

By Our Staff Correspondent

RAICHUR, MARCH 24. Mr. N.S. Bose Raju, Chairman of the Hyderabad- Karnataka Development Board (HKDB), has said that action will be initiated against the Chief Engineer of the Irrigation Central Zone (ICZ), Munirabad, Mr. T. Gangaiah, for allegedly bungling on water management in the command areas of the Tungabhadra Left Bank Canal.

Addressing presspersons on Saturday, he said Mr. Gangaiah had no knowledge about the irrigation system in the command area and had not taken measures to maintain proper water supply to the standing crops. Instead, he had made ``irresponsible'' statements on water-shortage, which provoked the ayacutdars in the command area to launch an agitation against officials of the department, he said.

When a correspondent brought to the notice of Mr. Raju the statement of Mr. Gangaiah that unauthorised cultivation of paddy in the command area on a large scale had affected the proper supply of water to the standing crops and the shortage of staff had hindered the department efforts at proper water management in the canal system, Mr. Raju said the statement was not correct.

Mr. Gangaiah had also said that due to shortage of water in the Tungabhadra Reservoir, the department was unable to impound water into the balancing reservoir at the 109th mile of the canal which supplements water supply to the standing crops in Raichur and Manvi taluks and maintains drinking water supply to Raichur city.

While disagreeing with the statement of Mr. Gangaiah, Mr. Raju said it appeared that the engineer had little knowledge about the steps to be taken for proper water management in the command area.

On the allegation that Andhra Pradesh was drawing excess water from the Tungabhadra Reservoir for the standing crops in the command area of the Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme (RDS), he said the issue had come up at a meeting of the Irrigation Department officials in Bangalore on Wednesday.

Mr. H.K. Patil, Minister for Major and Medium Irrigation, who chaired the meeting, had asked Mr. Gangaiah to give an explanation on the excess drawal of water by Andhra Pradesh. Mr. Gangaiah, however, replied that he had no knowledge about it, Mr. Raju said.

When asked why the Government had posted such an officer to an important post, Mr. Raju said stringent action would be initiated against him after an inquiry into the issue.

Mr. Raju said water-shortage in the tailend regions of the command area, especially during the Rabi season, was common. Every year the problem began in February as the ayacutdars in most of the command area go in for paddy cultivation.

Since last year, there were no reports of any leakage or breach in the canal and the Irrigation Department had taken steps to maintain the required gauges at all levels in the canal. However, the shortage of water to the standing crops, especially in the tailend regions, persisted as some ayacutdars were drawing excess water. The ayacutdars should help the officials in maintaining the gauges properly, he appealed.

To a question, he said the impounding of canal water into the balancing reservoir, near Raichur, was being done twice a year. However, the water stored in it was being utilised to supplement water supply to the standing crops in the tailend command areas of Raichur and parts of Manvi taluks. During the Rabi season, the impounding of canal water would commence only in the first week of April before the closure of the canal. Adequate water would be made available in the balancing reservoir to maintain drinking water supply to the people of Raichur during summer, he said.

Mr. Raja Amaresh Naik, Kalmala MLA and former Minister, Mr. M. Eranna, president of the city unit of the Congress, and Mr. Ayyalappa, president of the rural unit of the party, were present.

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