Bargarh: Scores of farmers of Bhatli and Bargarh blocks Monday gheraoed the collectorate here as several lift irrigation (LI) projects are yet to take off though they had made advance payment for the facilities years ago.
They warned of intensifying their stir in coming days if the projects are not expedited.
Farmers of Mulabar under Bhatli block and Nuapali in S Dumberpali panchayat under Bargarh block are the worst affected. The farmers of these villages submitted memoranda to additional district magistrate Bijay Rath in the absence of collector Anjan Kumar Manik.
Aiming at irrigating the non-irrigated lands and effective management of drought situation, the state government had launched Biju Krushak Bikash Yojana in the state. Under this scheme, non-irrigated lands are being supplied with water through lift irrigation system. However, the scheme is a non-starter in the district, farmers alleged. Resentment is brewing among farmers in several regions over the issue.
Nuapali farmers in their representation said they had deposited Rs 20,000 each with local LI office September last year to get irrigation facility in their farmlands. However, the administration is yet to even begin the project work. They fail to get any satisfactory answer from department officials when the issue is raised with the latter, farmers said, demanding immediate drilling of deep bore wells in village so that they can start farming. Several farmers including Abanikanta Panda, Maheswar Sahoo, Dayasagar Sahoo, Bhagabatia Nag and Murali Bhibhar were present on the occasion.
Similarly, cultivators of Mulabar alleged while 30 farmers had made advance deposits June 11, 2014, another 53 farmers made payments this year for digging up of bore well in the village to get water for farming. However, not an inch has been drilled so far, they alleged. The hyped irrigation scheme is still a pipedream for them, as acres of land are lying barren. Their frequent follow ups with local LI officials has not yielded any result so far, the farmers lamented.
More than 40 farmers took part in the protest.
ADM Rath is said to have taken the matter seriously and assured farmers of action in this direction. PNN
