Gujarat HC orders probe against senior engineer

According to petitioners,those who opposed the release of water were encroachers. Ultimately,the authorities passed an order that water cannot be released due to certain unavoidable circumstances.Challenging this order,the farmers moved the High Court. According to their contention,not releasing water was a motivated effort by the Deputy Executive Engineer who instigated some people living on the riverbed to protest against the release of water. The farmers alleged that the Deputy Executive Engineer had instigated the people to protest against the release of water as petitioner farmers had not paid him Rs 20,000 bribe money demanded by him. Justice K A Puj while disposing off the petition held that under the present circumstances it was not possible to release the water from the dam as demanded by the farmers. The court ordered the authorities to pay them back the amount they had deposited in proportion.Looking at the circumstances under which the water was not released which resulted into heavy loss to the farmers and allegations of corruption against the Deputy Executive Engineer,the court ordered a probe against him. The court also ordered the state government to take steps so that all the persons living on the riverbed or farming there illegally must be removed with immediate effect.