Tail-end villagers fight for canal water - Check pilferage themselves; accuse Irrigation dept of not acting against miscreants

Monday, 02/07/2012

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120702/punjab.htm#10

As the paddy sowing reaches its peak, farmers at the tail-end villages are fighting with farmers of villages located at the beginning of canals as they were not receiving an adequate supply of canal water to irrigate their fields.

Perturbed over the irrigation department's lackadaisical attitude, farmers of Dhelman, Nathana, Nathpura, Ganga and Gidder villages detected water theft on their own and recovered as many as nine water pipes that were used to pilfer water from the Dhapali canal near Dyalpura village of Bathinda district.

The villagers brought the matter into the notice of senior functionaries of the irrigation department and accused the lower-rung officials of not initiating an action the miscreants in order to check the unabated pilferage of canal water.

An SDO (sub-divisional officer) and JE (junior engineer) met these villagers and tried to pacify them. The officials informed the villagers that they will propose registration of cases against farmers pilfering or blocking the water.

Lower-rung officials told villagers, the SDO and the JE that there was a staff shortage in the department due to which they fail to check the pilferage in their respective areas.

The lower-rung officials said instead of nine beldar's, there were only two beldars posted on the canal side to check pilferage and ensure cleanliness of the canal besides addressing other problems, if any.

Gurtej Singh, a former village panchayat member, said the villagers detected five breaches at various places wherein farmers had illegally made openings at the canal to pilfer water. He said farmers had also dropped sand bags to reduce the flow of water for the tail-end villages.

The villagers informed the irrigation department officials that the farmers of Kalyan Gajjuana, Diyalpura and Selbrah villages block the flow of water and use water pipes to pilfer water. The water fails to reach the tail-end villages where farmers have to shell out extra money to pump out groundwater using pumps run on diesel.

The villagers said the water channel come from Tallewal and Sehna villages in Barnala and water reach their village after covering 40 km.

Irrigation department officials, including Sehna SDO Hari Krishan Garg, and Sehna, Dhapali JE, Baldev Singh, said they had written to the Bhagta and Nathana police stations for registering cases against six farmers for pilferage of water.

JE Baldev Singh, while talking to TNS, said they had detected water theft at nine places and found that six farmers whose agricultural land was situated nearby were involved in pilfering water.