Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, May 10: National Conference (NC) today expressed dismay over the delay in the annual desilting and clearing of agricultural irrigation canals across Kashmir, saying the inordinate delay in the annual clearance and repairs of canals will affect the paddy cultivation.
In a joint statement, the senior party leaders Choudhary Muhammad Ramzan, Sakina Itoo, Dr Bashir Veeri, Javed Dar, Abdul Majeed Bhat Larmi, Altaf Ahmad Wani and spokesperson Imran Nabi expressed concern over the delay of the annual desiltation process.
“There is no one denying the fact that COVID-19 outbreak has stalled various activities, however the Government was expected to learn from its previous experiences and streamline its efforts underway to combat COVID-19 and ensure day to day administrative activities as well which unfortunately is not happening,” they said.
The NC leaders said the incumbent Government has already failed to drive local agriculture and horticulture sectors towards normalcy from the abject condition it has been plunged into by the successive clampdowns and lock downs and apathy, the delay in cleaning the irrigation canals will give a mortal blow to the already ailing sector, resulting in job losses and decline in agriculture.
The leaders impressed upon the divisional administration to instruct the concerned department to act swiftly and clear the inlets and irrigation canals of weed growth and obstructions due to piled up silt so that the water reaches tail-end areas to enable farmers take up paddy cultivation. The functionaries also impressed upon the divisional administration to instruct the concerned department of irrigation and flood control to make urgent repairs on the banks to check erosion.
They also raised the issue of unavailability of fertilizers to the farmers and losses to the standing crops of farmers due to heavy hail storm that lashed Kashmir division the other day. The leaders demanded that the compensation be given to farmers, and horticulturalists on the basis of MSP.
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