Narsinghpur:
The Samnapur Minor Canal Project in the Narsinghpur district of Madhya Pradesh presents a classic example of the gap in India's development story.
Both the ends of the canal, which has a total length of 10 km, are complete, but a stretch in the middle of the canal has been lying incomplete for as long as two years now. The resulting delay has left six villages parched for want of irrigation water.
Farmers in the village believe that this development project has been sabotaged by local Congress MLA N. P. Prajapati, and it is because of this that the project is not reaching completion.
According to the farmers, the legislator wants to block irrigation water to the six parched villages as the villages do not support his party and are largely pro-BJP.
Sudhir, a resident of one of the villages says that "in order to irrigate every acre, we have to pay one thousand rupees."
Adds Vijay: "The local MLA N.P. Prajapati got the work halted. The farmers were never consulted."
When asked to comment about the irregularities in the execution of the project, Mr. Kanhaiyalal said "60 percent of the canal has already been built on land acquired from 150 farmers. All of them have got compensation at market price of Rs 2.5 lakh rupees per acre."
What is even worse is that the project falls under the Narmada Valley Development Authority, which is headed by BJP minister Kanhaiyalal.
Farmers allege Kanhaiyalal is close to Prajapti and hence, has not taken any action to redress their grievances.
This sabotage of the development project is allegedly costing the government crores in project delay losses.
Giving an explanation for the delay in the construction of the middle portion of the canal, Mr. Prajapati said, "The middle of the canal has to cut through cultivable farmland of another 11 farmers, one of whom is the Congress MLA's father and the rest his supporters. All 11 of them have refused to give up their land."
Justifying his claim that "a majority of the farmers are against the project," Mr. Prajapati added: "Suppose there are 22 farmers in all out of which 18 are against the project, you must have gone to the remaining four."
As per norms, work on the project could not have started without the consent of 75 percent of the farmers in the project area.
This canal with no middle, one of the hundreds of development projects for the poor across India, is lost in the maze of petty politics and greed.