Rs 50 crore goes down the ponds

Dug through the Centrally assisted Bundelkhand package,these ponds are neither suitable to hold water nor can they be used for rearing fish,through which they would have provided employment. After 4,061 ponds out of the sanctioned 5,027 ponds are complete,the District Rural Development Authority (DRDA),Jhansi — the nodal office for the scheme — has written to the state government to recommend some changes in the design.

“We have dug these ponds according to guidelines. But after talking to experts from different departments,we have found that some changes need to be done with the dimensions and have written to the Rural Development Department. As soon as we get the clearance,we will get these ponds dug further and employ job card holders for the purpose,” said G P Gautam,project director of DRDA,Jhansi.

Commissioner (rural development) Sanjeev Kumar said,“We will be sending our experts and after their report is in,we will take necessary action. If the need be,we will allow relaxation in design as these ponds should serve the purpose they have been dug for.”

The construction of ponds in dry Bundelkhand was part of the Centre’s special package for Bundelkhand region. These ponds were to be dug by the district rural development authorities (DRDAs) through schemes like Mahatama Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) while the Fisheries Department was entrusted with giving lease of these ponds to SC families having BPL cards so that they could rear fish in the ponds and earn a living. A total of Rs 50.17 crore was sanctioned for the ponds to be dug in seven districts,namely Jhansi,Jalaun,Mahoba,Hamirpur,Chitrakoot,Banda and Lalitpur. Out of the 4,061 completed ponds,525 ponds are in Jhansi district,71 in Lalitpur,50 in Mahoba,2079 in Hamirpur,835 in Chitrakoot,35 in Banda and 466 in Jalaun. The remaining ponds are also expected to be completed before March 31.

However,a review by the DRDAs on January 7 found that most of these ponds could not be used for the purpose they were dug for. “Bundelkhand region is primarily rocky and the ponds have to be really deep to ensure that they hold water for a longer time. The design and dimensions have to be different from those for other districts outside the region,” said an official of Mahoba DRDA. “Also,since rainfall is not enough to support these ponds,there should be some solution to fill these ponds through water channels.”

The Fisheries Department has also stated that these ponds cannot be used for fish rearing. “Fish rearing is a good scheme to provide employment to the poor and also to maintain the pond. But the depth of these ponds,especially in a region like Bundelkhand,cannot facilitate fish rearing. Even if they are filled up,they would dry fast. We have written to the DRDA about our inability to use these ponds for giving lease,” said Additional Director (fisheries) R B Gaur.