The delayed excavation of Binnabari Amtola Katakhal via Kundail Bridge Canal at Tarash upazila of Sirajganj is destroying several hundred bighas of Boro paddy plants beside both banks of the canal.
Farmer Abdus Sobhan of Katabari village under Saguna union informed he has cultivated Boro paddy on three bighas of land beside the canal. Of those, plants of nearly 12 kathas of land have been dumped under soil. Shahed Ali of village Kundail informed tonnes of soil from over the canal banks are falling on the standing crop fields and destroying the paddy plants. Another farmer Rasul said he has uprooted the plants from the fields beside the canal bank and transplanted those to other fields, otherwise, he added, his crop plants would also be destroyed by the soil of the canal.
Helpless farmers who have their standing crop plants beside the canals opined if the canal had been dug two months ago, there would have been no loss of their crops.
Upazila Engineer Fazlul Haque in this connection informed the work order of digging the canal for water supply in the field to the concerned contractor was given in August-20,2023 and the works of the digging of the canal were supposed to end by January 31, 2024. But, even after repeated insistence, the concerned contractor delayed starting the work.
It is learnt, According to the Upazila Engineer Office, the 2,600-metre Binnabari Amtola-Katakhal via Kundail Bridge Canal is being implemented at a cost of Taka one crore 86 lacks and 44 thousand.
Due to the excavation of the canal during the Boro season, standing crop plants on both sides of the banks of the canal are being destroyed.
Anowar Hossain, the Contractor responsible for the excavation of the canal informed, due to his preoccupation, he failed to start the works of Binnabari via the Kundail Bridge canal in due time.
LGED Engineer Shafiqul Islam said the bed of the canal is being dug deep to retain water. As a result, a huge quantity of excavated soil is being dumped on both banks of the canal.