IMPHAL, March 18: The State Irrigation and Flood Control minister, N Biren Singh has today in the house blamed unidentified persons for sabotage which had resulted in the breaching of the left side canal of Khuga Dam in between Lingshiphai and Tangmual.
Answering to the attention drawn in the house today by senior opposition leader MLA O Joy Singh, the minister further maintained that an FIR has already been lodged regarding the sabotage of the canal by his department at the concerned Churachandpur police station.
He further mentioned that completion of the Dam has taken more than 27 years and that the department has faced numerous grievances during its construction. Many portions of the canals of the dam built earlier had to be repaired and that except for supply of drinking water through escape channel upto Mata Lok which is adjacent to the left canal, no other water supply through the channels are yet officially sanctioned.
He further mentioned that, the engineers and officials of state IFCD have conducted a thorough investigation by visiting the spot during which the engineers and officials have found two barriers along the escape channel which had resulted in shifting of water to the left canal which could have led to the breach of the said canal and this was intentionally done by some miscreants and as a result the department has lodged an FIR case at the Churandchpur police and the culprits involved in the sabotaging of the canal will soon be book and punished under the law, minister Biren added.
Earlier senior opposition member O Joy while raising his motion of Point of order had sought written statement from the state IFCD minister in connection with the sudden breached at the left canal of Khuga Dam which was recently inaugurated by the chairperson UPA Sonia Gandhi during her last visit to the state on November 14.
