House Committee to probe Rogda Dam Deal

     Raipur, March 04, 2011: After two days uproar in Chhattisgarh Assembly, Speaker Dharam Lal Kaushik today announced that a five member committee of the state Assembly would probe the Rogda Dam deal of Janjgir Champa district.

     For the second day today the members from opposition bench, including Congress and BSP, raised the issue and demanded scrapping of the Rogda Dam sale to a private power producing company.

     After the House was adjourned twice, the speaker had a discussion with the members from both the benches and subsequently announced in the house that a five members committee of Chhattisgarh Assembly would look into the entire matter.

     When the Leader of Opposition and many of his members have demanded scrapping of the Rogda Dam deal and action against the officials involved in the matter, the Irrigation Minister had told the house more than once that the Irrigation Department had handed over the dam to the Revenue Department and the ownership was never given to any private company by the Irrigation Department, the Speaker said.

     “Looking into the seriousness of the matter, a five-member House committee is being constituted to probe the entire matter of Rogda Dam, which was raised in the house on March 03, 2011 through question No 03,” the Speaker said.

     The names of the committee would be finalised only after having discussions with the Parliamentary Affairs Minister Brij Mohan Agrawal and the Leader of Opposition Ravindra Choubey, he said.

     The Committee, however, would submit its report before the last day of the next session, the Speaker said.

     During the question hour, Congress member Mohammad Akbar had raised the Rogda Dam on March 03 (yesterday) and asked when was the dam constructed and whom had it been sold.

     Irrigation Minister Hemchand Yadav had replied the dam was constructed in 1962 with an investment of Rs 0.72 Lakh at village Rogda under Akaltara block of Janjgir-Champa district and had been handed over to the Revenue Department.

     For construction of the dam 21.80 hectare (53.85 acre) government land and 31.05 hectare (76.69 acre) total 52.85 hectare or 130.54 acre land were acquired, he had added.

     The dam has an irrigation potential of 221.85 hectare and with a payment of Rs 332.775 lakh the dam was handed over to the Revenue Department, the Minister had said and avoided who was the current owner of the Dam.