Several farmers have filed a petition to investigate and take disciplinary action against those involved in the allegation of excessive money being collected from farmers in the name of providing water from deep tubewells in Porsha.
The petition was filed by several farmers of Porsha upazila of Naogaon to the Barendra Multi-Purpose Development Authority (BMDA) chairman. The farmers are Abdul Hai of Nitpur, Ejabul, Monirul Islam, Rafiqul Islam, Jahirul Islam, Alauddin and Hafizur Rahman of Battali. In the application, they mentioned that they have been cultivating their land under the Deep Well (Gori Tube Well) scheme located at JL No-78, Bilkrishnasada Mouza Hal No. 4295, under Porsha Upazila of Naogaon District for a long time. But the operator cum record keeper Parul Hossain is collecting 600/- (six hundred) taka per bigha from the farmers in violation of the policies of the Barendra Development Authority and is threatening to stop cultivation by not watering the land if the money is not paid.
In addition to the land included in the scheme, he is illegally collecting additional money in the name of cultivating 20 (twenty) bighas of land. They are demanding the return of the money collected and punitive action against the people involved in the matter after investigating through the departmental officer. They further mentioned that they are members of the irrigation committee and land owner of the deep tubewell (Gavri Nalkul) located at 4295 Dagh of Bilkrishnasada Mouza under Porsha Upazila. Parul Hossain has been appointed as the operator cum record keeper in the said deep tubewell on a 01 (one) year contract basis.
According to the provisions of the Barendra Development Authority, farmers cultivate by recharging their own money and spending it through prepaid cards. The operator's responsibility is to provide water to the farmers' land and close the Swiss. But instead of doing so, he is providing water to an additional 20 (twenty) bighas of land in addition to the land included in the scheme and is illegally charging 600 taka per bigha from all the farmers of the deep scheme and providing water to the land. Otherwise, he is threatening not to provide water. The amount of land included in the scheme in this deep scheme is 150 bighas. On the other hand, the operator cum record keeper is giving water to 20 bighas of additional land and collecting money. As a result, he is collecting 90 thousand taka extra on 150 lands.
Which is against the policies of the Barendra Development Authority. They also mentioned that although the farmers have complained against the said operator in the past, no solution has been found. This year he has been reappointed as the operator. The image of the Barendra Development Authority is being damaged due to the appointment of this corrupt operator cum record keeper. If he is not removed immediately, the farming community will be extremely upset.
They have demanded the higher authorities to take immediate action in this regard. When I spoke to Dr. Abul Kashem, Additional Chief Engineer (Current charge ) (Ground-Surface Water Development and Construction-Design Division) of BMDA, he said that he has not received any application from the Porsha zone so far. He will take action if he gets it.
