Farmers rue dense growth of hyacinth in canal

Raj Sadosh

Abohar, August 2

With fresh rainfall, the flow of hyacinth and human bodies has increased in the Gang (Bikaner) canal, which originates from the Ferozepur headworks and passes through Abohar and Fazilka sub-divisions. Bodies usually get mutilated before striking the tail-end of the canal.

In Sriganganagar, hyacinth gets accumulated substantially at the Ghamoorwali canal bridge and partially spreads over the neighbouring fields. A part of the hyacinth flows through the sub-canals. Ghamoorwali residents claim that they inform the police whenever a body is noticed but the police on duty advised them to ignore and let the same flow on.

“Stray dogs usually feed on these bodies. We push them away same bamboo,” Makhan Singh said. Another farmer Ranjeet Singh said irrigation officials too were informed sometimes but they said it was not their job to fish out unclaimed bodies. When the stinking bodies reach the tail-end point, it becomes mandatory for the local police to shift the same to the nearby government hospital for post-mortem examination and initiate legal proceedings. At least 15 bodies were recovered in the past two weeks, sources said.

The police in Gajsinghpur segment question why the Punjab Police allow these bodies to keep flowing to their state when the casualties or crimes occur in their area of jurisdiction.

People from Punjab keep visiting Sriganganagar to identify bodies when their kin go missing. Farmers claim there are instances of bodies of people apparently murdered and packed in bags reach the tail-end of the canal.

Besides Gajsinghpur, tail ends of sub-canals fall in Sameja Kothi, Jaitsar, Muklawa, Raisinghnagar and Srikaranpur segments. The Srikaranpur police said only a part of a body was found last week near Chak 46-47 village in “FA” minor (sub-canal) and only its teeth could be preserved for DNA test. The Jaitsar police too recovered a mutilated body. Even the body’s gender could not be ascertained and it had to be buried after a post-mortem examination.

Kisan Sangharsh Samiti spokesman Subhash Sehgal said hyacinth can trigger breaches.

He said the Gang (Bikaner) canal runs to its capacity but sub-canals were being run on a rotation basis due to obstacles created by hyacinth. It happens in each rainy season and Punjab should cooperate in checking the inflow between Ferozepur and Abohar.

Abohar-based Nar Seva Narayan Seva chief Raju Charaya said, “We have fixed a board at the tail-end of the Malukpura canal near Gumjal. Villagers inform us about the bodies reaching there. We recover them with the help of the Khuyiansarwer police, shift the same to the civil hospital at Abohar, make arrangements for cremation. Ashes of unclaimed bodies were recently immersed at Haridwar after performing rituals.”

Hyacinth deluge

In Sriganganagar, water hyacinth gets accumulated in a large quantity near the Ghamoorwali canal bridge and partially spreads over the neighbouring fields