Bhawanipatna: A large number of farmers of Odidha’s backward Kalahandi district held protest Thursday against alleged denial of irrigation facilities despite collection of water tax from them for the past 26 years.
They demanded refund of the water tax collected from them so far and immediate steps by Indravati project authorities to ensure water supply to their area through the canal system.
The farmers, mostly from Talmala and Atigaon gram panchayat areas, staged a road blockade on the Hati river bridge near Junagarh crippling trafic movement on NH 26, police said.
Farmers from over 15 villages under the two panchayats staged a sit-in alleging that irrigation water of Indravati Left canal was not reaching their area during Kharif as well as Rabi seasons.
However, the revenue officials have been collecting water tax from them without fail, claimed the agitators.
Talmala and Atigaon panchayat sarpanchs, Dusila Majhi and Himadri Majhi respectively, said that the two areas are located in the tail-end of the canal system and water is not reaching these villages ever since its commissioning in 1993.
Farmers in the area are deprived of irrigation facilities though water tax had been collected from them regularly by the revenue officials during the last 26 years, they alleged.
Vehicular movement on NH 26 was stalled for around six hours due to the road blockade, which was lifted by the protesters following assurances by officials.
Jungarh tehesildar Upendra Luha assured the farmers that the matter will be looked into and appropriate steps taken to address the farmers’ grievances and ensure that they get canal water, he said.
(PTI)
