The Rs 113-crore Karam dam is one part of the larger irrigation plan
Eight people were suspended on Friday in connection with a breach reported in the under-construction Karam dam in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh earlier this month.
Cracks in the part-built dam showed on August 11. Thousands of people from 18 villages had to be evacuated as there was fear of flooding. Emergency channels were dug to release the water and save the day. Flooding was averted but whatever was built of the dam got washed away in the process.
Seven engineers and a sub-divisional officer of water resources department have been suspended for "gross dereliction of duty". The suspended personnel are chief engineer CS Ghatole, superintendent engineer P Joshi, executive engineer BL Ninama, assistant engineer Wakar Ahmed Siddiqui and sub engineers Ashok Kumar, Vijay Kumar Jathhap, Dashabanta Sisodia and RK Shrivastava.
Earlier in the day, Kamal Nath, the state Congress chief, had questioned why no action has been taken even after a fortnight against those indicted by the probe panel formed to investigate the issue.
The under-construction dam being built on the Karam river since 2018 had developed leakage in its first test of massive rain on August 11.
Earlier, Madhya Pradesh's BJP government had blacklisted two companies - allegedly linked with party leaders - for not completing the construction of the dam.
The Rs 113-crore dam is one part of the larger irrigation plan - total worth Rs 304 crore - which includes canals.