Rs 70 lakh spent but pipeline fails to supply water to wheat research institute farm in Hisar

Tribune News Service

Deepender Deswal

Hisar, May 27

Research farms of the Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (IIWBR) on about 200 acres in Hisar are unable to get adequate canal water supply for irrigation even after spending Rs 70 lakh for fetching canal water via a specially laid pipeline.

Sources said that due to an alleged technical defect, the pipeline is unable to get water to the fields for irrigation, resulting in wastage of funds and low yield from the fields.

The sources said that a four-km-long water channel (pipeline) was laid for irrigation in 2016. But the due to leakage and technical issues related to the levelling of the pipeline, water is not reaching the tail-end.

Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has established the Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research in Karnal and its seed and research centre was set up in Hisar in 2013 where different varieties of wheat and barley are sown.

The irrigation facility was created to get maximum yield from the fields which have fertile land. In the absence of canal-based irrigation facility, the fields were being irrigated with tubewells which have brackish water, resulting in low yield.

Sources said that the project for irrigation with canal water was started in 2016. The work was done by a contractor through the Central Public Works Department.

However, when the channel failed to fetch water, OP Dhillon, in-charge of the research farm, wrote a letter to the higher authorities in 2017 highlighting the shortcomings in the pipeline and requesting it to be rectified. However, Dhillon got transferred after some time.

On June 1, 2017, a five-member committee inspected the pipeline to examine the levelling of the pipeline, the water pressure, leakage and other defects. Yet another committee examined the pipeline which pointed out technical problems like height of the pipeline from the ground, the water tank etc. Though the pipeline was taken over by the research centre from the contractor, the problem persisted, sources said.

The sources said that the internal vigilance of the ICAR has started an inquiry into the matter on the basis of a complaint in this regard. When contacted, Dr Gyanandra Prakash, Director, IIWBR, which is headquartered at Karnal refused to comment on the issue.

Technical glitches

A 4-km-long water channel (pipeline) was laid for irrigation in 2016. But the due to leakage and technical issues related to the levelling of the pipeline, water is not reaching the tail-end.