A CORRESPONDENT
BOKO: Assam State Irrigation Department started a scheme of boulder pitching to stop erosion near the Singra Flow Irrigation Scheme (FIS) on the Singra River under the Irrigations Department’s Boko-Chaygaon division at Boko. The Singra River flows from the neighbouring state of Meghalaya and is a tributary river of the mighty Brahmaputra River.
However, villagers of the Singra area reacted after recent flash flood water washed away the boulder pitching partially from both sides. According to Dinesh Rabha from Buripara village, he had urged the concerned contractor and SDO of the Boko-Chaygaon division to work properly, but they avoided his requests. Rabha also alleged that they warned him not to question their work and told him that the work was going well.
However, locals pointed out that if these big stones were washed away by a small amount of water and then the department said that it was a good job, then incompetent people and contractors were working. Locals alleged that the work was completed just before the recent flash flood but the boulder pitching did not match completely and was rough, and therefore the recent flash flood washed away the boulders and soil.
On the other hand, while speaking with the Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) of the Irrigation Department’s Boko-Chaygaon division, Akikul Aman, he said that the work was not yet completed and that they had already measured the damage in the boulder pitching. AEE Akikul Aman also assured that the damages would be repaired very soon. AEE Aman also said that the project was started some 3 to 4 months ago this year and developed under the State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF).
Under the State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF), an amount of Rs 61.82 crore was approved for 32 projects of PWD (roads), Irrigation, and Soil Conservation departments in the state and CSIR-NEIST, Jorhat.
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