Demanding sufficient water supply, farmers protest outside DC office

Farmers gathered today at Maharaja Ganga Singh Chowk in Sriganganagar to demand their rightful share of irrigation water from the Gang Canal.

Their key demands include ensuring full irrigation water as per the canal’s share, reducing water losses through better management, the installation of a gauge at the Khakhan headworks, the reconstruction of the Ferozepur feeder, and the provision of 1200 cusecs of irrigation water in the

Bhakra Canal.

The farmers accused the Rajasthan government and the Water Resources Department of neglecting their needs. They also called for an increase to 2500 cusecs of water in the Gang Canal next month. The protesting farmers warned that if their concerns are not addressed, they will stage a sit-in on January 8.

Subhash Sehgal, spokesperson for the Kisan Sangharsh Samiti, pointed out that the Water Resources Department had failed to prevent the theft of canal water in Punjab, where permanent theft arrangements are in place. He stressed the need to install a gauge at the Khakhan headworks on the Abohar-Sriganganagar border to prevent water losses, stating that fluctuations in water levels severely impact farmers.

Maninder Singh Mann, convener of the Kisan Army, emphasized that the only permanent solution to the irrigation issues in Gang Canal would be the reconstruction of the Ferozepur feeder. He called for farmers from Sriganganagar to unite for a collective movement on this issue.

Sukhvir Singh Fauji added that the complex system involving gauge readings and SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) systems was beyond the farmers’ comprehension.

Their primary demand is for a steady water supply to ensure that crops can reach maturity.

Ravinder Tarkhan, district spokesperson for the All India Kisan Sabha, expressed concern over the repeated announcements regarding the preparation of the Detail Project Report (DPR) for the reconstruction of the Ferozepur feeder.

The delay in starting the construction is causing great anxiety among farmers. The meeting was attended by Gang Canal Project Chairman Harvinder Singh Gill, Kisan Sabha District President Gurcharan Singh Mod, and Kisan Sangharsh Samiti District President Amar Singh Bishnoi, among others.

After the meeting, the farmers staged a protest outside the District Collectorate. The Chief Engineer of the Water Resources Department came out to meet the farmers and assured them that the required water quota for the Gang Canal would be provided.