Troubled waters

Hazaribagh, March 2: A farmhouse next to a reservoir may sound bizarre. But with Charwa’s water level fast receding, this will soon be a reality.

Md Shahid, a resident of Pugmil, told The Telegraph that he owned 100 acres near the dam. Sources said he had already engaged labourers to level the land and set up a farmhouse. A 20-25 feet kutcha road has also been made by Shahid, who is a contractor, from the main road to the plot, they added.

Shahid, however, said he had receipts of the land issued on his name by the office of the deputy collector, land reforms, Hazaribagh, in 2007. He even claimed to receive a no-objection certificate from Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) before starting construction work.

Sub-divisional officer Binay Kumar Rai said construction work was being carried out illegally near the southern side of the dam, adding that he had ordered to stop the work immediately. Rai added, “I had visited Charwa recently and found construction work was still on.”

The sub-divisional officer said the issue was very sensitive and that documentary proof was required to reach a conclusion on ownership of the disputed land. He pointed out that he had asked officials of DVC and the drinking water and sanitation department to provide him the dam’s map.

Rai, however, refused to comment on Shahid’s claim, saying it was not unwarranted without verifying the documents. He said once the original map of the dam was available, things would become clear. “I had also asked for a report from the Katkamsandi BDO in this regard,” he added.

The block development officer of Katkamsandi, Vaibhav Kumar Singh, had also asked for a report from a block employee on the circumstances under which land receipts were issued to Shahid.

According to sources, then circle officer of Katkamsandi Meena Kumari had also searched for the original map and documents related to the dam two years earlier, after learning about the receipts issued on Shahid’s name. But government employees failed to trace the map in any office.

Situated in Katkamsandi, Charwa dam lies within a 3000-acre area and has a capacity to store water in 100 acres. The dam is 6km away from the district headquarters.

The dam, considered a lifeline for the people of Hazaribagh, was built by DVC and handed over to then government in 1954. Roughly 3.5 lakh people are dependent on the reservoir for water supply.

A government official said land around the dam belonged to the gair mazrua (government) category. He added that a probe would net officials who had favoured Shahid.