Farmers Movement Archive

Fazilka villagers threaten stir over canal water theft

Fazilka, June 14With the tail-end villages in the Jalalabad area suffering due to the theft of canal water, agitated farmers have decided to start an indefinite blockade on the Fazilka-Ferozepur highway from Tuesday.A deputation of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan) led by its district vice-president Gurwinder Singh Mannewala, along with other office-bearers and some officials of the canal department, visited the Nizamwah distributary and its minor canals Barkatwah and Faizwah.Mannwala alleged the deputation noticed that pipes were illegally laid underground to draw canal water by some influential persons in connivance with the ruling party leaders. He also alleged the water courses were altered in an arbitrary manner to draw more water from the canals. The BKU leader further alleged canals hadn’t been cleaned before the commencement of the sowing season. Farmers resented the fact that the sowing of paddy had already begun on June 10 and the canal department had failed to provide the desired water for the transplantation.He said they had been approaching the officials concerned for the past three months regarding the problems but to no avail, thus they had decided to block the Fazilka-Ferozepur highway on Mamujoyia Toll Plaza from June 15 for an indefinite period. However Executive Engineer, Canals, Jagtar Singh claimed the pipes had been removed and the water would be released in a day. He added the cleanliness of the canals had already been done.

The Tribune

2021-06-15