Farmers want canal for use of Ranjit Sagar dam water

Tribune News Service

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Jammu, January 10

Farmers from Kathua and Samba districts, who have been facing drought and water scarcity, have demanded the construction of a canal in the Kandi belt and the utilisation of the waters of Ranjit Sagar Dam.

The demand was raised by prominent social workers during a programme organised in Jammu on Wednesday.

Speakers at the programme also raised the issue of alleged discrimination against the people of the Jammu region in distribution jobs and called for a transparent policy in the state.

As per the memorandum of understanding signed by the Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab Governments on the Ranjit Sagar Dam project, the latter has to provide funds for the construction of the canal.

“This should be implemented immediately to offset the effect of water scarcity which is a great problem in the Kandi belt. It affects the farmers also as they are dependent on rainfall for cultivation,” said Captian Lalit Sharma (retd), member, Interaction Forum Jammu Province, a group of social workers.

“We express concern over the discrimination against the Jammu province in terms of tourism development, delimitation, horticulture and irrational development,” said former bureaucrat BS Jamwal.