Kailali. Kailali: The Gurgi Irrigation Project constructed around 56 years ago at Kukurbhukka of Kailari rural municipality-2 in Kailali district has been stuck. The project, built in the fiscal year 2062/63 BS, has been stuck so far after the floods in 2064 BS destroyed the dam.

Although budget has been allocated every year for the construction of Gurgi Irrigation Project, the construction has not progressed. According to the Water Resources and Irrigation Division Office, Dhangadhi under the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure of the Far-Western Province, the budget has been frozen due to lack of assurance of water resources.

The Sudurpaschim state government had allocated Rs 2 million for the project in the fiscal year 2075/76 BS and Rs 150,000 for administrative expenses. In the fiscal year 2079/80 BS, the state government had allocated Rs 60 million to carry forward the process of planning, but it could not be spent. The state government, which had allocated Rs 120 million in the fiscal year 2080/81 BS, had allocated Rs 50 million in 2081/82.

Tekraj Binadi, engineer at the Water Resources and Irrigation Division Office, said that although the budget is allocated every year to take the project forward, the DPR should be prepared again for the construction of the project as the source of water is not assured. He said that although the office had prepared a report of Rs 440 million cost estimate to take the project to the contract process in the fiscal year 2081/82 BS and submitted it to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the ministry approved the report of the cost estimate of Rs 300 million. Stating that the budget has been demanded for the DPR of the project, he said that the dpr work will proceed after the budget is confirmed.

Dayaram Chaudhary, a local, said that farmers have been deprived of consuming the water of the canal as the dam, which was broken almost two decades ago, has not yet been constructed. Among the years-old irrigation projects, the dam of Gurgi Irrigation Project is said to have been constructed in 2026 BS by the then zamindars Ramdin Mahato, Chimananda and Deshraj Mahato through their raiti. Chaudhary complained that although a concrete dam was constructed in the fiscal year 2062/63 BS, the construction work of the project has not progressed so far after the dam was breached by the floods in 2064 BS.

The farmers of wards 1, 2, 5 and 7 of Kailari have been forced to cultivate on the basis of water and borewells due to lack of irrigation. More than 6,000 farmers were benefiting from the scheme. Farmers have complained that they have to depend on water due to the flood. More than 1,400 hectares of land is being irrigated through the project.

According to the survey conducted by the Irrigation Development Division Office, the project cost is estimated at Rs 440 million and irrigation facilities will be provided to 1,800 hectares of land. Farmers of Bisanpur, Lavalpur, Manau, Harinagar, Dammara village of Kailari-1, Sadakpur, Pabera, Gobraila, Jagdahawa, Manikapur, Baispur villages of ward no 5 and Ratanpur, Siupur, Narayanpur, Basanta, Chhatakpur Basanta, Bhuiyaphata and Rampur villages of ward no 7 will be benefitted from the scheme.

Similarly, the Finance, Development and Natural Affairs Committee of the Parliamentary Sub-Committee under the Sudurpaschim State Assembly had held a public hearing a week ago after on-site inspection of the dam. State Assembly member Shiva Singh Oli said that the local farmers boycotted the programme immediately after the committee started its hearing programme with the farmers of the area regarding the delay in the project.