Opinion 40 years ago, July 9, 1986: PM Rajiv Gandhi criticises irrigation planning

The Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, has come down heavily on the way irrigation projects were planned and implemented in the past. He ridiculed the practice of laying foundation stones for too many projects which could not be completed in time.

40 Years Ago, Rajiv Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi criticises irrigation planning, irrigation planning, Ramakrishna Hegde, S R Bommai, Mahesh Chandra, DDA work at standstill, editorial, Indian express, opinion news, current affairsGandhi made these remarks while inaugurating the two-day national conference on irrigation and water resources. (Archive)
2 min readJul 9, 2026 06:30 AM IST First published on: Jul 9, 2026 at 06:30 AM IST

The Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, has come down heavily on the way irrigation projects were planned and implemented in the past. He ridiculed the practice of laying foundation stones for too many projects which could not be completed in time. Gandhi made these remarks while inaugurating the two-day national conference on irrigation and water resources.

Union minister under fire

Controversy over the appointment of judges to the Karnataka High Court snowballed with Chief Minister Ramakrishna Hegde and his senior cabinet colleague S R Bommai accusing Union Minister of State for Law H R Bharadwaj of denigrating the judiciary. While Hegde, in a strongly-worded letter to the Prime Minister, said he would leave it to Gandhi to decide whether a person who had been fulminating against the judiciary was fit to continue in office, Bommai said at a press conference that Bharadwaj should be dismissed for misconduct.

Advertisement

Controversial judge sworn in

Even as advocates in the city’s courts went on strike in protest against the elevation of Mahesh Chandra to the Delhi High Court, the controversial appointee was sworn in by the Chief Justice, Dalip Kapur.

DDA work at standstill

Work on all major housing and development projects of the Delhi Development Authority has come to a standstill because it has not been able to pay its bills for almost three months. The DDA’s finances are in such bad shape that no major contract has been awarded for the last two months. Most housing projects are running one to two years behind schedule and the DDA is making desperate efforts to raise funds.

Latest Comment
Post Comment
Read Comments