Imphal, June 22 2009: When the Government of Manipur declared the State as drought affected in 2005, 287 water pump sets were provided to the farmers for irrigation of their paddy fields.

Today it is not known where these water pump sets have gone.

According to an official source from the State Agriculture Department, following deficit rainfall, the State Government had declared Manipur as a drought affected State in 2005 and to bail out the farmers from that grim situation, Agriculture Department had expended around Rs 50 lakhs in procuring 287 water pump sets.

It may be noted here that with a deficit rainfall of 58 percent till the end of June this year as against the normal expected rainfall of 739.50 millilitre, the State Cabinet on June 20 decided to declare Manipur a drought affected State.

An Action Plan to combat the situation has also been put in place.

At the Cabinet meeting, the Agriculture Dep had also been entrusted with the responsibility of procuring 300 water pump sets for distribution among the farmers to irrigate their fields.

The official source said that at the time of distributing these water pump sets among the farmers, Ministers and MLAs sent their men and the same were issued to them after signing undertakings.

The Department still have the list of the persons against whom the water pump sets have been issued.

Although these water pumps sets were to be returned after the end of the season, i.e.September/October of 2005, the Department has not received even a single pump.

The Department also has no idea whether these water pump sets are still in use or not as none of them could be seen being used today to irrigate the paddy field inspite of the fact that shortage of rainfall this year has threatened agricultural outputs in the State.

Though unofficial sources said that some of these water pumps sets that were procured at an estimated cost of Rs 50 lakh have been modified and used in rice mills, the Agriculture Department has not received any official report in this regard, the source added.

Meanwhile, as a temporary arrangement to tide over the current drought like situation in the State, the Agriculture Department has started distributing around 40 water pump sets taken on loan from Rural Development Department among the affected farmers.

A top official of the Agriculture Department said that these water pump sets taken on loan from the Rural Development Department are to be replaced from 300 new water pump sets that the Agriculture Department is planning to purchase.

In connection with purchasing new water pump sets, a market survey committee has been constituted with Director of Agriculture as chairperson and Chief Engineer of Minor Irrigation, Additional Director of Agriculture, Executive Engineer of Agriculture and Under Secretary (Agriculture) are the members of the committee.

Collection of price quotation from various agents based at Imphal has been started so that the water pump sets could be purchased at the earliest possible, the official disclosed, adding that taking into account the past experience in which the water pump sets were not returned, this time under the supervision of the Agriculture Officers the EO circle concerned would issue them to the farmers after signing undertakings.

Efforts would also be made to ensure these water pump sets are not distributed through Ministers, MLAs and other politicians, the official added.