Tral : Farmers expressed are angry over the delay in restoration of a water channel in Chatrogam village of Tral in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district, which was damaged earlier in many places, leaving the paddy fields dry and uncultivated.
The farmers talking to INS said that, all the paddy fields in Tral areas are filled up with paddy as the season is about to end now but their fields in Chatrogam outskirts, even after hard work, are yet be filled as authorities failed to restore the water channel commonly known as “Zaina Khul” which is the minor of famous water canal “PARGAN LAER” and is the only water source for their fields.
The farmers have said that after several requests to authorities allotted work to one of the contractors for the restoration of the said channel in the month of May with the amount of Rs 1.852 lacs and time of completion as 20 days, but nothing has been done so far despite the passing of given time to the contractor.
“Irrigation department is to be blamed for all the problems and said that department didn’t ensure their demands which is badly impacting paddy fields. The department should have directed contractor timely for the construction of bund on time,” they said.
“We are still waiting for planting paddy in our fields as department earlier assured us that a bund would be constructed on the water channel soon. We have visited the department many times but all our pleas are turning into deaf ears,” a farmer Prithvi Singh told INS.
He further said that, “authorities should wake up from slumber now and should fulfill our pending demand which is the need of hour for us.”
“We are very poor and have spent lot of money in ploughing and other works on these fields since last one month,” another farmer told INS, adding that all their hard work will go waste if bunds wouldn’t be constructed.
Assistant Executive Engineer, Irrigation department, Tral, Ghulam Nabi Zarger, when contacted, told INS that, irrigation authorities have already completed all the formalities and had allotted work to contractor but contractor failed to start work.
“We have received complaint from farmers that said contractor failed to start work on that project and in this connection we will recommend higher ups to blacklist the job card of the contractor,” Zarger said
