Allegations of gross irregularities and negligence have surfaced in the flood control works going on along the Sharda river in Palia tehsil of Lakhimpur Kheri district in UP.
It was claimed that the work of channelisation of the river was being done at a cost of Rs 22 crore to reduce the risk of floods, but the ground reality seems to be quite the opposite.
The promise of “channelization” remained only on paper
The local administration said that the river was to be dredged for a length of 7 km, but till now this work is being done only by doing light digging with Pokeland machines.
According to the set standards, heavy dredger machines were to be deployed for deep dredging, but despite two weeks having passed, not a single dredger machine has reached the spot.The silt of the river is being taken out through tractors, which is neither technically adequate nor safe.
Local experts say that the soil removed from such excavations can flow back into the river during floods, which will further increase the risk of floods. This work is like inviting more trouble instead of providing relief from floods.
The villagers erupted in anger
The villagers of Palia tehsil are quite angry about this negligence. They say that every year the lives of thousands of people are disrupted due to floods, and yet the relief work remains limited to papers only.
The villagers have questioned the administration as to where the amount of Rs 22 crore is being spent and why the necessary machines have not arrived yet.
So far neither any administrative officer has come forward on this serious issue nor has any public representative tried to clarify the situation.
Local people allege that these schemes are made only to fill the pockets of contractors and officials, the safety of the general public is not included in their priority.
