Show-cause notice issued to the timekeeper of the Water Resources Department and the watchman of the Municipal Corporation
Mohara Anicut, at 74 percent of total water capacity, deemed satisfactory for the water supply to the Rajnandgaon City
Raipur, 3 June 2023
The Water Resources Department has filed an FIR at Basantpur police station regarding the unauthorized opening of five gates of Mohara Anicut in Rajnandgaon district on May 31. The authority has issued a show-cause notice to the timekeeper of the Water Resources Department and the watchman of the Municipal Corporation. Currently, the Mohara Anicut is containing 74 percent of the water of total capacity, which is deemed satisfactory for the water supply in Rajnandgaon City.
According to the investigation report, the Executive Engineer of Rajnandgaon’s Water Resources Department revealed that unidentified individuals opened five gates of the Mohara Anicut on May 31. Prior to the incident, the Anicut had water with a capacity of 1.26 million cubic meters. Upon the unauthorized opening of the gates, water gushed out for approximately 4-5 hours, resulting in a decrease of around 15 cm in the water level within the Anicut, with an estimated loss of 90 thousand cubic meters of water. As soon as the Water Resources Department was notified about the gate opening, immediate action was taken to close it.
According to the investigation report, the Executive Engineer revealed that one key of the Anicut’s gate is kept by the timekeeper of the Water Resources Department in Rajnandgaon, while the other key is kept by the watchman of the Rajnandgaon Municipal Corporation. On May 31, the Sub-Divisional Officer of the Water Resources Department filed an FIR with the Basantpur police station in Rajnandgaon regarding the incident. Furthermore, an online FIR was filed on June 1 ( FIR No. 0266, dated 01.06.2023) with the Basantpur Police station in-charge, Rajnandgaon.
The Deputy Director of the Mineral Department in Rajnandgaon has released a report concerning the incident. As per the report, an inspection of the affected area revealed that it was waterlogged as per the normal standard, and no illegal mining of sand was discovered in that region. The Mineral Department Officers are actively monitoring the area to ensure compliance and prevent any unauthorized mining activities.
The Commissioner of the Rajnandgaon Municipal Corporation has also released a report regarding the incident. The report revealed that authorities have asked the Mohara Plant in-charge and Shift in-charge to provide an explanation regarding the incident. Furthermore, the authorities have sent a letter to the Office of the City Superintendent of Police in Rajnandgaon, urging them to enhance night police patrolling. The authorities have assigned two employees for each of the three shifts to ensure continuous monitoring at the Anicut. In order to address the issue of darkness around the Anicut, the authority has installed a 250-watt light. The authorities have instructed officers and employees to conduct regular inspections of the Anicut region.
