Boribundhs or Choribundh? Development or Fraud?

Compiled from RTI data collected by Bharat Jhala



Disasters have become opportunistic events for the government to undertake much needed development work. The State Government was aware that due to the disasters and man-made floods from 2005 to 2008, there was a change in the course of rivers in 23 zillas. As a result, lakhs of farmers' fields were washed away rendering them unfit for cultivation.

If the Government had undertaken long term measures such as increasing the depths of the rivers, pitching both the river banks and constructing check dams at every kilometer, perhaps the past disasters could have been avoided and the future safeguarded. But instead, the Government suddenly decided to construct boribundhs, claiming that the water could be prevented from flooding the villages or the fields by such “boribundhs”! However, the boribundh is not a permanent structure and they have been built without any planning for disasters or stopping the runoff of rain water!

On 13th January, 2010, Bharatsinh Jhala submitted a RTI to the Chief Minister's Office requesting amongst others the following information:

1.The general regulation released by the State government on constructing boribundhs in the villages of Gujarat and the names of the ministers responsible for taking the decision for the same.

2.The details of the villages, taluka and zillas where the boribundhs were constructed and the costs incurred.

The following reply was received:

1. On 17th August 2009, Mr. Narendra Modi made an announcement to commence the construction of the boribundhs, through a video conference from Sachivalaya, Gandhinagar.

2. Boribundhs had been constructed at a cost ranging from Rs. 7 lakhs to Rs. 23 lakhs. But since there were no rains during the next month, there has been no collection or containment of water.

3. All the costs have been incurred utilising the funds from the Central Government's National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS).

As per the NREGS policy, the villagers have to take decisions on such kind of development work in a Gramsabha, which the Gram Panchayat then implements but none of the villages had passed a prior resolution regarding the same. Thus crores of NREGS funds were wasted away without any long-term benefit to the villagers only to fuel the Chief Minister's propaganda of development.