Trouble for farmers as four-lane road projects damage irrigation ‘kuhls’

Ongoing construction of four-lane road projects in Kangra district is spelling trouble for farmers of the area. The construction companies engaged in four-lane road projects are damaging the irrigation kuhls of the farmers. The farmers in the Kangra Assembly constituency recently organised a protest against the four-lane project alleging that their kuhls were damaged by contractors.

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Kuhls in which water from local streams and rivers is canalised to fields of farmers is common source of irrigation in Kangra district. The dependence of farmers on irrigation kuhls has increased this year as the rain in the region has been scanty. There was about 80 lesser rainfall than normal in Kangra valley this winters. The kuhls were getting damaged as the two-lane road was being widened to four-lane roads in many parts of the district. Two major four lane projects, namely Pathankot-Mandi and Matour-Shimla, were being constructed in Kangra district.

Congress MLA and Deputy Chief Whip of Congress in Himachal Assembly Kewal Singh Pathania has come out in support of farmers. He has alleged that irrigation in about 1,000 kanal land has been hit in his Assembly constituency Shahpur. “About seven major kuhls in my constituency have been damaged and not been repaired by the contractors of NHAI engaged in four-lane project of Pathankot to Mandi,” he said.

Pathania said after the farmers met him, a meeting of NHAI contractors and district administration officials was held in which the contractors promised to repair the kuhls but no further action was taken.

Besides the damage to kuhls, the people residing on both sides of four lane were facing other problems. The NHAI was not leaving passages for people to cross over to other side of the road despite requests by people. “I will take up the matter in Himachal Assembly during the forthcoming budget session of Himachal assembly,” Kewal Singh Pathania said.

The people residing on both sides of the four-lane roads are demanding that the NHAI should construct underpasses or overhead passes in areas that are densely populated. In case the NHAI authorities fail to leave the passages, the people residing on both sides of the road would have travel at places for kilometres to cross over to other side of their village.

Vikas Surjewala, project director of Pathankot Mandi four-lane project, said that in most of the area where kuhls of farmers were located, the NHAI was constructing pucca culverts. “We have sent the estimates for construction of culvert that were not within the scope of our Detailed Project Report (DPR) to help the farmers. In case there was any problem, farmers can come to their office and the contractors concerned would be ordered to repair the damaged kuhls,” he said.