A Correspondent
Silchar: TMC’s Rajya Sabha MP Susmita Dev demanded a high-level investigation by the Chief Minister Vigilance Cell into the failure of the much controversial Bethukandi sluice gate as it failed to function during the current flood in Silchar. Terming the flood a ‘man-made’ one, Susmita raised a serious allegation that the shutter of the sluice gate was pulled down to an optimum level at around 9 a.m. on June 29 by the attending staff of the Water Resources Department as the water level of the Barak river was tended to be much higher. “But then came a phone call from the higher-ups of the department to the attending staff to reopen the gate as the local ruling party representative, along with the bosses of the administration, would ceremonially pull down the shutter in front of the camera only to attract credit to their account. But the shutter then failed to operate,” Susmita alleged.
She further added that subsequently, lakhs of rupees were pumped in for a temporary arrangement to stop water flow into the Mohishabeel by felling geobags. She also pointed fingers at Water Resources Minister Pijush Hazarika as he avoided a visit to the Bethukandi site during his two-day visit to the Barak Valley to take stock of the flood situation.
Susmita Dev said that after the 2022 deluge, the Bethukandi sluice gate was handed over to the Water Resources Ministry from the irrigation department, and the minister declared that the incomplete sluice gate as well as the dyke would be fully operational. “Subsequently, we did see our MP, Dr. Rajdeep Roy, and MLA, Dipayan Chakrabarty, ceremonially inaugurate the sluice gate. But now, after two years, the minister claims that the completion of the sluice gate will take another year. Why did the minister skip an inspection of the Bethukandi site? Rs 54 crore were allotted for the project. The local MP and the MLA ceremonially inaugurated the sluice gate, and now, after two years, the minister claims that the sluice gate will take another year to be fully operational. So the natural question that comes up is, Where has this fund of Rs 54 crore been utilised?” Raising this question, Dev asked the Chief Minister to order an investigation by his Vigilance Cell as she doubted the Bethukandi sluice gate was now being treated as a hen that lays golden eggs.
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