Rats ate my ₹2,500 crore irrigation project, Jharkhand explains how a dam was washed away within 14 hours of inauguration

• Jharkhand Government's ambitious project worth ₹2,500 crore, Konar Dam, collapsed within 14 hours of inauguration, destroying crops spread across 100 acres.
• The officials blamed the rodents for a major breach developed in the canal, causing extensive flooding in several villages.
• The Jharkhand irrigation project -- that initially started with an estimated cost of ₹6 crore, took 42 years to build
  

Yes, you read that right.

Jharkhand Government's ambitious project worth ₹2,500 crore, Konar Dam, collapsed within 14 hours of inauguration, destroying crops spread across 100 acres.

The officials blamed rodents for the major breach developed in the canal, which caused extensive flooding across several villages.

The state administration found rodents to pin the blame on.

The Jharkhand irrigation project -- that initially started with an estimated cost of ₹12 crore, took 42 years to build. The canal was meant to provide water in 85 villages across Giridih, Hazaribagh and Bokaro districts was washed away.

The irrigation project in Giridih district was dedicated to the people by Chief Minister Raghubar Das on Wednesday.

"The initial probe suspected 'rat holes' causing damage to the canal," said the government statement.

The repair works are on.

In 1978, the then Governor of undivided Bihar Jaggananth Kaushal had laid the foundation of the project. However, it was delayed due to several reasons, including the indifference of the successive governments. The cost of the project also escalated from ₹12 crore in 1978 to ₹2,500 crore.

In 2003, the then Chief Minister Arjun Munda again laid the foundation stone for the canal, but work moved at a snail’s pace.

In 2012, once again tender was floated for the project, which was bagged by a Mumbai-based company.

As per the Water Resources Department, the total length of the canal is 404.17 km. On a regular basis, 800 cusecs water can be released daily while the overall target is to release 1,700 cusecs per day.

(With IANS)