Excelsior Correspondent
SAMBA, Jan 15: The farmers of district Samba expressed their anguish over the condition of the Ravi – Tawi canal and its distributaries whose condition is day by day turning from bad to worse due to the negligence and carelessness of the Irrigation Department officials.
Baldev Raj a farmer of village Chhanni Manhasan told reporters that at various locations of canal area particularly within Vijaypur, Swankha Morh, Chhanni Manhasan, Rampur and its adjoining periphery have been encroached by some vested interest and land mafia. The officials of Irrigation Department have shut their eyes with the result the encroachers are at full liberty. Bushes, plants and trees have grown in the canal which not only have blocked the canal but also damaged it.
Gurnam Singh and Sat Pal of border area of Ramgarh Sector said that they were fully depended upon canal water for Irrigation of their land but for the past few years the canal water is not available at the tail end whereas we are paying the Irrigation charge continuously every year. The local residents of Vijaypur town said that the dirty nallahs of town have been merged in the Ravi canal.
They urged the authorities that the encroachment be removed. The canal area can be utilized as park on the pattern as a park has been constructed in Jammu city alongside of Ranbir Canal. This step will not only help to prevent the pollution but also increase the beauty of the town. The farmers of tehsil Vijaypur and Ramgarh urged the Lieutenant Governor, G C Murmu to issue the directives to the concerned authorities of Irrigation Departments to make it convenient to remove the illegal encroachments and blockage from the Ravi – Tawi canal and also work to beautify the canal area particularly within town and also initiate inquiry that why despite of inviting tenders for desilting every year the canal has not been cleaned.
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