Bathinda: Angry for not getting canal water for irrigation, farmers in Kotfatta Village, Kotbhara and Ramgarh Bhundar in Subdivisi Maur District Bathinda on Friday Meet the minor bhai bakhta distributor with sand in protest.
Farmers say distributors are of no use when they don’t get water from it.
They have threatened to oppose political leaders who visit these villages and to block the road.
These villages are located on the tail of the Kotla branch from the Sirhind feeder channel which provides supplies for Ghuman Distributors, from which two minors provide canal water to seven villages in the area.
From both, Bhai Bakhta who supplies water to three villages has not worked for a long time and farmers must use a set of agricultural pumps to extract water.
In Punjab, 73% of underground water is used through tubewell for irrigation purposes and in 27% water channel water is used to irrigate the fields.
“Previously, we have held protests and officials of the Water Resources Department coming and returned after getting a guarantee.
Now we have decided not to sit and arrange greater protests and stop the entry of political leaders in our villages,” said Ramgarh Bhundar Farmers Gurmail Singh and Nachhatar Singh from Kotbhara Village.
Engineer Department of Water Resources Jagmeet Singh said, “Long 2km link channels are built and underground pipes are placed to supply canal water to these villages.
There is a leak and there is also scarcity of canal water in the area.”