Angul: Defunct lift irrigation points have left the farming sector in mess in the industrial Angul district. Farmers continue to suffer while no efforts are being made by the concerned departments to set things right in the larger interests of the farmers, a report said.
According to the report, over 200 lift irrigation points are lying unutilized for lack of electricity supply. Farmers in some areas have been struggling for water.
On the other hand, industrial units in the district allegedly suck water away, making water crunch for the agriculture sector. As a result, the farming sector in the district has taken a beating, the report said.
Angul district has many dams, rivers, underground water sources. Lift irrigation projects are being executed to feed water from these sources to the farmlands. The irrigation points aim to irrigate 22,146 hectares of land in the district.
There are 897 lift irrigation points, but 205 of them have been lying defunct due to the alleged negligence of the departments.
With the help of 692 lift irrigation points, 16,488 hectares of farmlands are being irrigated.
It is alleged that lack of power infrastructure is the major reason for lift irrigation points becoming defunct. Due to disasters or technical reasons, supply has been disrupted or transformers have gone out of order.
Farmers alleged that they have been exhausted from frequenting to the local lift irrigation offices to set things right, but no corrective measures have been taken. They said that when they complain about it before the officials, the latter always plead for their helplessness.
There are two systems working in lift irrigation sector. Farmers can have deep bore wells on their own efforts with certain amount of deposits at the department. BPL farmers will have to pay Rs10,000 while general farmers have to pay Rs20,000. A farmer can irrigate an acre of land while four farmers can form a pani panchayat and use water from any source.
In rainy season, farmers fail to get benefits of lift irrigation scheme for lack of electricity. Farmer Manas Kumar Pal (Angul) said, “Many lift irrigation points had been set up near creeks and rivers. Many have become defunct. As the district is industrially rich, the agriculture is being sidelined.”
Another farmer Ramani Ranjan Pradhan of Kishorenagar said as the faulty management of the Lift Irrigation department is not set right, farmers are not getting subsidies. Ranjit Pradhan of Chendipada alleged that after pani panchayat, lift irrigation points have been left in a mess and ultimately farmers have to suffer.
Santosh Mishra, executive engineer of the Lift Irrigation department said that owing to non-cooperation of the Electricity department, lift irrigation points are going defunct.
After privatisation of the electricity distribution, such problems have increased, he added. “Feeder wires are being stolen while in some cases transformers go out of order. But they are not being repaired,” he pointed out.
PNN