Basudevpur: Even as agriculture is the chief occupation of villagers belonging to Basudevpur block and paddy is cultivated as a prime crop here, the district administration allegedly has not resolved basic problems of around 1,000 farmers here, a report said.
According to sources a drain that stretches from Balibindha village under Basudevpur municipal limits and connects the Gamei river, is the prime drainage structure here.
The drain is deep enough. It has a 20-feet width and is over two-kilometre-long. It separates the farmlands of several villages including Balibindha, Basathi, Chudamani and Bhairabpur.
Farmers at one side of the drain have been facing lots of difficulties for past several years in crossing it and reach the other side. “Particularly, during the days of ploughing and harvesting paddy, it becomes more difficult for us,” a local farmer lamented.
In the absence of a drain, the farmers put their lives at stake and pass through the drain water. After demanding for years, the district drainage department started constructing a bridge on the drain five years back, which has been left midway, aggrieved farmers said.
As there is no approach road to the connecting bridge, it is in the middle of the drain. The incomplete bridge has become a bane for over 1,000 farmers in the region.
A local farmer said, “The drain is neither being cleaned nor maintained by the departmental authorities at all. Re-excavation of the drain is going on these days and is affecting the water flow in it.”
Reacting to this, drainage engineer Sripati Karan said, “Appropriate steps will be taken by the department after conducting necessary verification as to why the construction work was stopped midway.”
Local villagers namely Gangadhar Barik, Ganesh Chandra Sahu and Narayan Behera of Balibindha have demanded an immediate solution to the problem. Despite running from pillar to post, drainage authorities show an apathetic attitude. The local farmers warned of an agitation if their demand was not considered soon.
