Tarun Karthick
Campbell Bay, 05 July 2022
A pipeline worth more than ₹1.75+ Crores was laid down at Campbell Bay years ago. The pipeline runs parallel to the North-South Road from near the Chingan Village to Magar Nallah. Even though a large sum of public money was spent on installing the pipeline, it has never been used.
Sources have informed Nicobar Times that APWD tried pumping water through the pipeline a few times, but failed.
Further, no attempts were made to rectify the pipeline.
Multiple dislocated joints can be seen throughout the length of the pipeline and it would again cost a fortune if the pipeline has to be made operational.
No accountability has been fixed by the department for the failure of the pipeline project involving such a huge sum of public money.
The laying of the pipeline from Chingan to Magar Nallah also defies all logic as the source of water closest to the pipeline is Prem Bahadur Nallah. Prem Bahadur Nallah dries up during the summer months and the water supply to the nearby villages is curtailed by APWD. The pipeline was designed to supply water towards Campbell Bay and in absence of a viable source of water, where was APWD planning to get water to transport through the said pipeline.
Spending such a huge amount of public money and then not using the asset created out of such spending should be viewed as a criminal offence. The officers involved in such projects should be held accountable and punished.
Nicobar Times approached the local authorities of APWD at Campbell Bay to get exact details on the pipeline project, but no information was provided even after multiple requests. The approximate cost of the project has been obtained from a source with knowledge of the issue.
Aimlessly spending public money by the Govt. Departments should not go unchecked, especially at a time when the public utilities like roads in the Islands are in very bad shape and needs urgent maintenance.
The ₹1.75+ Crores spent on this failed pipeline project could have been utilised for other development in Great Nicobar and it would have benefitted the public immensely.