A defunct borewell was left open in K.R. Nagar owing to differences between a member of the gram panchayat (GP) and the Panchayat Development Officer.
The borewell was dug by the Berya GP in K.R. Nagar taluk in Mysore district and was closed after it did not yield water. However, the borewell was opened later and has turned into a death trap now.
Minister for Revenue V. Srinivas Prasad was furious when it was confirmed that the defunct borewell has been left open for a long time. At a special meeting held on Thursday, the Minister asked executive officer of K.R. Nagar taluk panchayat Siddalingaswamy why the defunct borewell was not closed.
The officer said there was a serious misunderstanding between the two officials for sometime now. The GP member is alleged to have got the borewell opened in order to bring disrepute to the PDO, he said. Mr. Prasad said he did not want to listen to stories and that no borewell should be left open.
He directed the executive officer to file a police complaint after examining the version of the Panchayat Development Officer and villagers.
Elected representatives should not put the lives of children at stake to settle scores with officials, he said, and instructed executive officers to ensure that defunct borewells, private or government, are closed.
It may be recalled that the Deputy Commissioner and the Chief Executive officer had written to the government stating that all borewells in Mysore had been closed.
