Kesinga: About 100 farmers of Laitara gram panchayat Thursday conducted a ‘praja court’ at Laitara shiva temple here in Kalahandi district. They decided to launch a mass agitation if the government does not take steps to make Laitara mega lift irrigation project functional. The irrigation point had been inaugurated by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik December 12, 2014.
Patnaik had unveiled Laitara mega lift irrigation project and 12 others under Titilagarh cluster. Seven projects in Kesinga block and six of them in Bolangir had been constructed at a cost of Rs 262 crore.
Three years have passed since Laitara mega lift irrigation project was inaugurated. But the farmers are yet to get a drop of water from this project.
The farmers alleged that while the project was designed for kharif season, it is lying defunct and the staff are paid regular salaries.
Had the project been made functional, it would have solved the water scarcity problem in the locality, they said.
They had also demanded a cross embankment that would store water from Ret project and Tel river. The farmers have given a three-month deadline to the government to make the project functional failing which they would take to the streets. PNN