Saryu Roy demands repair of dilapidated Chandil canal, alleges farmers neglect

Ranchi/Jamshedpur: Saryu Roy, the MLA from Jamshedpur West, has criticized the Jharkhand government over the dilapidated condition of the Chandil Left Main Canal and its distribution system under the Subarnarekha Multipurpose Project.
In a letter to the Secretary of the Water Resources Department, Roy alleged that the government, which collects crores in revenue from industries, is neglecting the interests of farmers.
Roy stated that the 128-kilometer-long Chandil Left Main Canal was constructed about 30 years ago, but proper repair and maintenance of the canal and its distributaries have not been undertaken since. As a result, the canal’s irrigation capacity is fast depleting, and thousands of farmers are bearing the brunt.
He noted that bushes have grown across more than 80 percent of the canal, a massive amount of silt has accumulated, and the canal embankments are damaged in several places. If repairs are not done in time, farmers will suffer heavy losses during the Kharif season.
Roy said that water from the Subarnarekha project is being sold to industries, yielding massive revenue for the government. He claimed that the government receives over ₹700 crore annually from Tata Steel alone, yet this revenue is not being utilized to repair canals or provide irrigation facilities to farmers. He termed this an “injustice” to the region’s farmers.
He added in the letter that the Meteorological Department has predicted a weaker-than-normal monsoon this year. In such a scenario, the farmers’ dependence on the Subarnarekha project for irrigation will increase significantly. Therefore, the government must take immediate action to repair the canals.
Saryu Roy has demanded that a special budgetary provision be made in the financial year 2026-27 for the repair and maintenance of the entire 128 km length of the Chandil Left Main Canal and its distribution system, and that work should begin immediately to ensure uninterrupted irrigation facilities for farmers during both the Kharif and Rabi seasons.