Lakhimpur Kheri (Uttar Pradesh), April 26: In Sheikhpur village, the lower part of a water tank built under the Jal Jeevan Mission six months ago suddenly burst. Villagers were sitting inside their homes when they heard a loud noise and rushed outside.
Some alert villagers recorded videos of the incident and shared them online. The strong flow of water from the broken tank flooded the village and nearby fields, causing panic among the people. Stored wheat crops were also damaged.
Samajwadi Party Chief and Kannauj MP Akhilesh Yadav slammed the Yogi Adityanath led Uttar Pradesh government and alleged corruption in the construction of the water tank. He took to his official social media account and said, "After all how can a water tank withstand the pressure of corruption. This water tank built at a cost of 3 crores in Lakhimpur has not burst, in fact the false drum of honesty that BJP beats has burst. It remains to be seen on whom the rich and prosperous people at the top blame for this."
The tank was built at a cost of ₹3.5 crore by the working agency (BTL) and was still under trial. On Saturday afternoon, the tank burst with a loud explosion. Luckily, no one was nearby at that time. The water broke through the surrounding wall and flooded Roshan Lal's wheat fields. The debris from the tank also destroyed the solar panels installed nearby.
The village head immediately informed the district administration and the District Magistrate (DM). Villagers said the tank was made with very poor quality materials. The iron sheets used were substandard, and construction guidelines were ignored.
The tank was supposed to supply water to five villages: Sheikhpur, Sultanpur, Sandaura Khurd, and others. Construction started in October 2022. Villagers mentioned that the contractor rushed the construction work and started the water supply in a hurry.
The village head said that the agency was pressuring them to accept the handover of the water tank, but due to incomplete work, it was not accepted yet. After the incident, the agency staff have been avoiding answering villagers' questions.
Meanwhile, Executive Engineer Y.K. Neeraj from the Jal Nigam said the tank had not been officially handed over yet, and now the agency will have to rebuild it. He also said an investigation into the incident would be conducted.
