Dhamnagar: Even as the state government has given top priority on agriculture, an irrigation project in Dhamnagar area of Bhadrak has been wallowing in neglect.
Farmers lamented that Mirgaghatkul sluice gate, which used to play an important role in irrigation, was left redundant for them.
Locals said, if water could be retained during dry season for a stretch of 10 km, farmers would make use of its water.
Agriculture is the mainstay of Dhamnagar as the area is crisscrossed by rivers like Baitarani, Reba, Kapali, Kochila and Genguti. The land has been enough fertile to boost paddy production. The area is tagged as the rice bowl of the district.
Earlier, farmers used to lay small dams across rivers and irrigated their land for raising paddy and other crops.
The government spends crores of rupees on building check dams and sluice gates to control flood and irrigation purposes.
Similarly, the government set up a sluice gate across Genguti near Jahangir to control floods and draining of water for a stretch of 10 km from Jantamahara to Mirgaghatkul.
For last 10 years, the sluice gate has been in a bad shape and is unable to store and control floodwaters. Last year, steps had been taken for its restoration. Officials of the water resources department and MLA Muktikant Mandal had visited the area.
It has rekindled hopes of farmers, but later they had to be disappointed when nothing was done.
Locals said, had the sluice gate been restored, famers of riparian villages like Dalang, Bayangdihi, Arjnpur, Bhattasahi, Nadigan, Kothar, Dhusuri and other nearby villages would have benefited on the irrigation front.
As the sluice gate fails to work, the riverbed has remained dry, making farmers face difficulties in availing water for irrigation. Under a river renovation project, some work has been done. The riverbed was dredged, but its water has not been dammed up for use.
Farmers said they have canal system in the area. However, they have not thought of making use of lift irrigation potential. As the riverbed is dry, farmers were not able to irrigate their land. Now, the project has been under the drainage division.
An engineer of the department said a design for the project has been drawn up and fund has been allocated. Its project will start soon, he added.