Stone bridge and container room reported inside Dhom dam limits in Wai; questions over irrigation dept silence
Residents are asking who permitted the alleged unauthorised structures near the Dhom reservoir and why the irrigation department has not acted.
A stone bridge has allegedly been built through unauthorised construction on land adjoining the Dhom dam reservoir, in the western part of Wai taluka. A container room has also reportedly been set up on land within the dam area.
The first question being asked is how such work could take place in the protected area of the dam. If it was done, who gave the permission? Residents also want to know whether the authorities concerned did not notice the work, and if they did, why no action has been taken so far.
Local residents are angry. When farmers cultivate on the exposed reservoir bed, the irrigation department cites rules, sends notices and threatens action. Residents ask why the administration has held back when large-scale construction is coming up within the dam limits. They resent the contrast between action against farmers on one hand and this construction on the other.
Rules exist on the use of land in the dam area, construction beside the reservoir and encroachment. If they are being flouted, the matter must be treated as very serious. If the rules are strict for ordinary farmers and relaxed for influential people, the question arises of who is responsible. The main issue is whose permission was taken to put up the container room. A thorough inquiry is needed into whether permission was obtained from the revenue department or any other government agency for the construction.
If irregular work has taken place within the Dhom dam limits, the officials and employees who turned a blind eye should also be investigated. Acting only against the person who built it will not settle the matter. It is equally important to find out whose permission, whose supervision or whose negligence allowed the work. There is therefore a demand for an immediate on-site inspection and a panchnama of the alleged encroachment in the Dhom dam area.
The demand is growing that the construction permission be examined and strict action taken against those responsible if it is found to be irregular. With the water and surroundings of the Dhom dam belonging to the public at large, people are asking what exactly the irrigation department is waiting for if encroachment is being allowed such freedom.
