Bihar Legislative Assembly Speaker Uday Narayan Chaudhary today ordered the constitution of a special committee to probe into the functioning of irrigation tubewells in the state, which are helpful during drought.
Chaudhary gave the orders following a heated debate on a question raised by JD(U) MLA Manjit Kumar Singh regarding non-availability of electricity connection to 2740 tubewells despite the Minor Water Resources Department (MWRD) paying money for the purpose five years ago.
MWRD minister Manoj Kumar Singh said 1077 tubewells in the state are in the working condition while electricity connection has been given to 1,529 tubewells till now.
When asked by Manjit whether the department will take action against the responsible officers as Rs 108 crore given by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has been spent yet the tubewells are not working, the Minister said he will see into it.
Not getting a clear reply from Manoj, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) legislature party leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui pointed out that the matter was very serious for agriculture and farmers of Bihar. He also suggested a probe by a committee of the House in the matter.
Leader of the Opposition, Nand Kishore Yadav demanded a special debate for two hours saying this is a statewide issue and several MLAs cutting across party lines would like to speak on it.
As other members also started demanding an investigation and debate, Chaudhary ordered the formation of a special committee to probe the functioning of the tubewells.
