Biren allays Khuga fear

IMPHAL, Jul 17: Irrigation and Flood Control Minister N Biren today assured the State Assembly that there is no cause of fear that the main earth dam of the Khuga Multipurpose Project would collapse, just because breachings have occurred at some portions of the right main canal. The Minister was responding to a call attention motion raised by MLAs O Joy and V Hangkhalian. The Minister informed the House that the right main canal of the dam was constructed in 1994 at an estimated cost of Rs 29 lakhs, and Rs 3.4 crores were spent in 2000-01 on its improvement. However, breaching of the canal at some points has occurred as the pools that were formed on the side of the right main canal constructed some 14 years back as a result of dug out earth by JCB for strengthening the embankment of the canal had not been filled up properly. Nonetheless, necessary repairing works at all possible weak points of the canal are being carried out. So there should not be any fear that the main earth dam would also collapse, the Minister said. Khuga Dam has been taken up by the Government as it very important, the Minister said, while assuring that necessary measures would be taken up to ensure breaching of the canal do not recur. On a trial basis, the canal of the dam has irrigated around 500 paris of paddy field successfully, he added. Supplementing the response of the Minister, Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh, who is also the leader of the House pointed out that the right main canal of the earth dam is to be extended upto Bishnupur and necessary repairing works would be taken up in case of breaching. Constructing the cemented wall of the canal would be very expensive, the Chief Minister said, while giving advice to the IFC Minister to release the water in phasewise manner. Raising the call attention motion, MLA O Joy observed that report of breaching at three different portions of the canal of the dam which is awaiting inauguration is surprising. Questioning how can the people of rest assured that the earth dam itself would not be collapse in view of breaching along the canal despite having spend huge amount of money in construction, Joy also demanded to know whether the breaching had taken place without any external force or due to strong pressure of the water. He also demanded to know whether the width of the canal is to the specification or not. MLA Hangkhalian demanded to know the possible reasons for the breaching of the canal on trial even before inauguration of the earth dam constructed for more than 30 years. Expressing apprehension over the possible of compromising the quality of the work, he suggested for inquiry into the incident by instituting a committee of the House in view of the public apprehension that the main earth dam may also be collapsed.(TSE)