Farmers oppose remodelling of Indira Gandhi canal

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Sirsa, April 1

Farmers of 14 villages in Dabwali subdivision of Sirsa district are up in arms against the remodelling of Indira Gandhi canal in Haryana by Rajasthan irrigation authorities.

Residents of Lohgarh, Jotanwali, Saktakhera, Abubshehr, Rajpura, Sukeralkhera, Jandwala, Ganga, Kaluana, Bani, Nathore and Neemla villages have started dharna near the canal at Abubshahar village demanding immediate halt to the work.

Contractors hired by Rajasthan authorities have already set up their cement concrete remix plants, though the remodelling work is yet to begin.

Raising objection, Dr KV Singh, a senior Congress leader, said the remodelling work has been started from Haryana where the canal runs for merely 35 kilometers, whereas, a major portion of it exists in Punjab.

He claimed the remodeling work would adversely affect recharging of ground water table which could turn the agricultural land barren.

He said the canal was lined with bricks earlier, but the authorities concerned would now use cement concrete, spreading 10 mm plastic sheet on the canal bed to make it completely seepage proof. The state pollution department on Friday served notices to the contractors who had set up cement concrete remix plants at the construction sites without its prior approval.

“The canal has proven a boon for the local farmers ever since its construction in the ‘60s. Though the farmers are not entitled to draw water from the canal except from the three authorised outlets, seepage of water helped in recharging the ground water level besides improving its quality. This helped farmers in producing paddy on an otherwise semi-arid land. Now, if the Rajasthan authorities are allowed to go ahead with lining the canal with plastic sheets and cement concrete, it will negatively impact farming in the area,” said Aditya Chautala, a zila parishad member from Sirsa. He alleged the state government and the opposition parties were doing nothing to safeguard interests of the farmers.

Both the leaders demanded the entire canal, starting from Harike Pattan in Punjab, should be remodelled using bricks only.

The Indira Gandhi Canal, one of the largest canal projects in the country, starts from Harike Barrage in Harike Pattan in Tarn Taran district of Punjab, a few kilometers below the confluence of Satluj and Beas. It was known as the Rajasthan canal before being renamed after the assassination of former PM Indira Gandhi. The canal travels 167 kilometers through Punjab and Haryana before entering Rajasthan where it runs for 468 kilometers.

The canal enters in Haryana from Lohgarh village of Sirsa and exits towards Rajasthan from Kharakhera village of Tibbi tehsil in Hanumangarh district.

While Punjab does not draw any waters from this canal, Haryana gets its share of 45 cusecs from three outlets at Kaluana, Nathore and Neemla.