The work on ambitious Madan Dam project for providing irrigational facility in two States Jharkhand and Bihar is unlikely to begin by March 31, the latest deadline set by Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) as the user agency Jharkhand water resources department is yet to submit the proposal to the State Forest Environment & Climate Change Department for forest clearance.

It may be noted that PMO has earlier set January 31 for water resources department Jharkhand is to submit the proposal to the State Forest Environment & Climate Change Department.

According to sources, once the proposal comes from the user agency, the forest environment & climate change department will start enumeration of trees list, differential global positioning system, boundary pillaring etc before the proposal is sent first to the State wildlife board. After that, State wildlife board has to forward the proposal to the national wild life board for approval.

Sources said the PMO has further set March 31 for completing all mandatory formalities. However, sources said, looking at the pace of work here, the concerned departments are expected to miss the deadline.

The Mandal dam on completion will submerge 1,174 hectares of tiger reserve Palamu. DFO Core PTR Anil Kumar Mishra told The Pioneer, “The water resources department has not submitted its proposal to our department to start the long-drawn process of forest clearance with differential global positioning system, enumeration of trees on the land boundary pillaring as 1,174 hectare of tiger reserve minus the critical tiger habitat is to face submergence on the start of the Mandal dam.”

Five villages spread in 2,400 hectares have be recolated and rehabilated before beginning the works on the dam, said sources. These five villages fall under Garhwa district.

The five villages are Bhajna, Khurra, Kutku, Chemu and Saniya out of which two of the villages namely Bhajna and Khurra are to face partial submergence while the remaining three will be totally submerged.

DFO core Mishra said he had taken up this issue with Garhwa DC Neha Arora recently wherein he raised these points that for rehabilation of these five villages, the Jharkhand Government will have to start process afresh to provide compensation and employment to one member of displaced family.

He said, “I told DC Garhwa that relevant files of this are with Palamu since Garhwa in those early years of the Mandal dam was a part of Palamu district and hence she would ask the Palamu administration to hand over the relevant files pertaining to Mandal dam to Garhwa administration.”