Water supply hit, farmers of Abohar villages plug canal outlets in protest

Abohar, July 19

Hundreds of farmers of Sito Gunno and Mehrana villages plugged the outlets (moghas) of Mehrajpur minor (sub-canal) to protest the reduced water supply to their fields.

A day earlier, they had staged a protest and warned the Canal Department that if the water supply in the sub-canal was not increased, they would close the outlets.

Today, the protesting farmers said that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, after the Lok Sabha poll debacle, had advised officials to be sensitive towards the problems of people. However, they said, no official had tried to resolve their problem, due to which they were forced to take the step.

Azad Kisan Morcha convener Manoj Kumar warned the authorities that if the department still did not resolve their problem, they would intensify their protest.

The protesters claimed that while sufficient water supply was flowing into the Lambi Minor, their fields were not getting irrigated due to the lack of water in Mehrajpur Minor.

Farmers Tarun Kumar, Devi Lal and Sushil Kumar said they had recently submitted a memorandum to the Canal Department, stating that they were shareholders of RD Number 47885 of the Mehrajpur Minor and their fields were on the tail end of the canal. They alleged that some farmers in Maniwala village had tampered with the water outlets and installed concrete water pipes due to which their fields were not getting full water.

“We mostly cultivate cotton and have also developed some orchards. As the farmers at Maniwala village have sown paddy, they have tampered with the outlets and laid pipes to draw more water,” said a farmer.

Maintaining that the contractor and Junior Engineer did not care to keep a proper level while building the sub-canal, the farmers urged the Canal Department to direct them to rectify the same. They also sought action against the “erring” farmers of Maniwala village, besides demanding an increase in the water supply to Mehrana and Sito Gunno villages.