In Sirsa, CM raps officials for delay in clearing file for canal

Anil Kakkar

Sirsa, July 31
Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini met farmers of nine villages at the residence of Haryana Lokhit Party (HLP) chief and Sirsa MLA Gopal Kanda to discuss the construction of the Dhingtania-Salarpur kharif canal during his visit to Sirsa today. The farmers have been demanding water to irrigate their fields for a long time.
After listening to the farmers’ concerns, Saini was visibly irritated with officials. He reprimanded Deputy Commissioner RK Singh and the Irrigation Department’s XEN and SDO, while questioning them why the file for the project had not been approved by the high-level purchase committee. Saini instructed them that the file should be cleared within the next two days and the compensation for the farmers’ land should be transferred to their accounts promptly.
MLA Gopal Kanda told the CM that these farmers had been demanding irrigation water for a long time and their work should be prioritised. CM Saini assured the farmers that their issues would be resolved within two days.
The farmers informed the CM that they had been fighting for this cause for 15 years.
They said former CM Manohar Lal Khattar had announced the construction of the canal in 2019, but the project had not started. Although the budget for the canal was allocated in 2019, no work had been done, they rued. The farmers said the canal would benefit 15 villages whose lands were turning barren. They said the groundwater was polluted and had depleted to a depth of 500 feet.