Farmers urge CM get Ferozepur Feeder Canal berms strengthened

Raj Sadosh

Abohar, May 1

The Kisan Sangharsh Samiti has urged Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh to order strengthening of Ferozepur Feeder Canal berms (side lanes) to prevent breaches. The canal also supplies water to West Rajasthan areas.

The Feeder canal, which emanates from the Harike headworks, has a capacity of 11,192 cusecs and was constructed in 1952-53. It runs to a length of about 51.30 km for supply of Ravi-Beas waters to two distributary systems (Mayawah and Sodhinagar), having a combined discharge of 309 cusecs. The Sirhind feeder off-taking from the Ferozepur feeder was constructed during 1954-55 and runs to a length of about 136.5 km. It has an authorised capacity of 5,264 cusecs, having a cultivable command area of 3.6 lakh hectares. Experts, in their report to the state government, had stated that the life of the Ferozepur Feeder canal was limited to 50 years. Its sidewalls and bed had collapsed at several places and leakage caused waterlogging in Punjab.

After visiting the feeder, Samiti spokesman Subhash Sehgal and vice president Amar Singh Bishnoi said that in a memorandum sent to the CM, the farmers’ body alleged that some people were engaged in setting up tube wells in violation of the rules related to the protected lane on both sides of the Ferozepur feeder. Earlier the previous Akali-BJP government had illegally allowed about 150 tube wells on both sides of the Gang (Bikaner) Canal in Fazilka district. The Punjab State Power Corporation Limited had given connections illegally to operate the tube wells. The then govt had assured that illegal tube wells would be removed but due to political pressure neither the previous nor the present government took any action in this regard. Now it has been found that people have installed many illegitimate tube wells between 200 RD (Burji) to 310 RD.

Quoting government sources the Samiti said that the floor of the Ferozepur feeder has been badly damaged upto 80 percent. As per the rules, a 25-feet wide healthy lane should be provided on both sides but it was encroached to install tube wells violating the rules. The committee has demanded that immediate steps should be taken to strengthen the Feeder lanes and action against illegal tube wells, failing which breaches can wreak havoc. –OC

Photos:

28abohar1.jpg. The Ferozepur Feeder canal floor and sidewalls got widely damaged. Tribune Photo

28abohar2.jpg. The Ferozepur Feeder canal floor and sidewalls got widely damaged. Tribune Photo

28abohar3.jpg. Tube wells being installed affecting the side lanes of Ferozepur Feeder canal. Tribune Photo