Fields flooded again, Muktsar farmers yet to get aid for last year

Archit Watts

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Tribune News Service

Muktsar, July 28

Jagpreet Singh, a farmer of Haraj village in Muktsar district, lost paddy crop on 13 acres as rainwater inundated his fields last year. His crop has met the same fate this year as well. However, Jagpreet is yet to get a single rupee in compensation from the state government against his last year’s losses.

“This time, I was expecting to cover my last year’s losses. However, paddy crop on 13 acres of my land is waterlogged again. I have spent nearly Rs 1 lakh on my crops so far but even a week after the rains, the fields are inundated. The state government has failed to make any arrangements to drain out the rainwater. It has even failed to provide compensation of last year’s losses. Further, this year, the officials have not yet got the orders to start special girdawari,” Jagpreet maintained.

Similarly, Kaur Singh, a farmer of Udekaran village, who lost his paddy crop on 30 acres for two years in a row, said: “During the monsoon, nearly 400 acres in our village get waterlogged. The rainwater from other villages flows in and accumulates here. We are bearing this from the past many years, but the state government has not found any permanent solution till date. It has even failed to give us compensation against the last year’s losses. We had met the Deputy Commissioner in this regard, but to no avail.”

Notably, Kultar Singh Sandhwan, AAP leader-cum- Kotkapura MLA, had on Sunday visited some affected villages in Muktsar district and spoke to the Deputy Commissioner to disburse the compensation against the last year’s losses at the earliest.

In this regard, Avtar Singh, District Revenue Officer, Muktsar, said: “We have received the money and will soon disburse the compensation against the last year’s losses.”