Champua: Contrary to the government claim that it has been working for the welfare of farmers and to boost irrigation for agriculture, local farmers of Patala village under Champua in Keonjhar have alleged that they are unable to make use of an irrigation point which has been lying defunct for the last two years.
Farmers claimed that though it has been lying defunct, the Lift Irrigation Department is doing nothing to set it right despite repeated complaints.
The Lift Irrigation Department set up this project in 2016 at a cost of Rs 16.24 lakh to provide irrigation facility to 20 hectares in kharif and rabi season.
When the contractor concerned made a trial run, pipes were found leaky. The contractor took three months to repair the cracked pipes. But the time the project was ready, a utility pole sank, disrupting power supply to the project. At that time, many farmers had banked on water supply from the project and grown pulses.
They lamented that they have been unable to irrigate their crops in the farmland at a time when the government has launched KALIA scheme for small and marginal farmers. But the defunct irrigation project is not being repaired. They said that they were deprived of raising wheat and vegetables.
Farmers had no way but to use kerosene-fuelled motors to irrigate the land. Besides, even though electricity was not consumed for the project, beneficiaries had got electricity bills. Later, they took up the issue with the Pani Panchayat. They had drawn attention of the Champua BDO and sub-collector, but to no avail, they lamented.
Assistant engineer of the electricity division, Haladhar Senapati said that a camp will be organized February 26 and the matter will be settled. Electricity problems faced by Pani Panchayats will be redressed.
PNN