Opposition slams govt for selling resources to industrial houses

Chhattisgarh government was put in the dock by the opposition members today in the state legislative assembly for allegedly selling dams and water to the industrial houses.

The state government, however, denied the allegation of selling dams and water from the rivers and canals to the industrialists.

"The state government has started the new job of selling rivers and dams to the big industrialists in the state," Congress legislators Ajit Jogi and Dr Renu Jogi raised the issue in the House today through a call attention notice.

The Congress legislators named a few dams in Janjgir-Champa and Raipur districts that the state government allegedly sold to the industries.

"Since water from canals and rivers is being provided to the industries, there is no water left for irrigation in many areas," they said, adding that water in the canals is hardly reaching the tail end.

The Chhattisgarh government denied the allegation that it had sold dams and rivers."A dam (in question) was handed over to the revenue department after examining the merits and its uselessness for irrigation purposes," state's water resources minister Hemchand Yadav said.

The addition water flowing into other states in the major rivers in the state is being supplied to the industries in the larger interest of the state, Yadav said, adding that the allegation of opposition members that farmers are being denied water for irrigation is not correct. The minister added that after the formation of the state, the budget outlay of the water resources department had increased considerably.

The state government had taken up many projects to increase the irrigation potential, he added.