Farmers begin indefinite protest over water shortage in Chautala minor canal

Angered by the ongoing water shortage at the tail end of the Chautala minor canal, hundreds of farmers in Sirsa district began an indefinite sit-in protest on Thursday, demanding repairs to faulty outlets and restoration of water supply.

The protest follows weeks of inaction by the local administration despite a written complaint submitted earlier to the Dabwali SDM. With drinking water and irrigation severely affected in tail-end areas, farmers say they were left with no option but to launch the indefinite agitation. Farmer leader Daya Ram Ulania said farmers dependent on the tail end and two specific ‘moghas’ (water outlets) had been suffering due to a sharp decline in canal water flow. “We’ve been demanding action for weeks, but our concerns have been ignored,” he said, as dozens of farmers set up camp at the site.

After receiving information about the agitation, Irrigation Department officials, including SDO Sunil Goyal and the local Junior Engineer (JE), arrived at the scene amid heavy police presence.

Tensions rose when farmers began questioning the officials about water availability and the damaged outlets.

However, no concrete assurances were given, leading to loud slogans being raised against the department.

The situation escalated further when a canal employee, Joginder, who was inspecting water levels, was confronted by the protesting farmers.

A disagreement broke out after Joginder claimed there were “seven parts” water in the canal, which the farmers disputed. He later filed a complaint, prompting the SDO to call the police — a move that only intensified the farmers’ agitation. Farmers said the protest would continue until adequate water supply was restored at the tail end, and the two faulty outlets were repaired.