Handwara villagers protest over non-functional lift irrigation pump

Kupwara, July 24: The residents of Gonipora Handwara in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district Wednesday staged a protest against the Mechanical Department for failing to make the lift irrigation pump functional with the result that hundreds of kanals of land with paddy saplings has dried up and authorities were doing nothing to address the issue.

The protesting farmers said that unavailability of irrigation facilities were severely impacting their paddy crop thus affecting hundreds of families who rely on agriculture.

The affected farmers said that two years back their Panchayat allocated twenty seven lakh rupees for procuring necessary tools so that the irrigation pump can be made operational. "The pump shed was equipped with the necessary tools except two major pipes which the concerned officials had accepted to be provided from the government exchequer but after the passage of two years, the pipes are yet to be received," said a protestor.

"Because of the prevailing heat wave, the situation is heading towards drought and potential starvation. We heavily rely on paddy cultivation but due to lack of water, the situation seems to be grim," he added.

The protesters said that for the last two years they have moved from pillar to post to get their genuine demand redressed, but to no avail.

The affected farmers have appealed Additional Deputy Commissioner Handwara Aziz Ahmad Rather to take immediate action to restore irrigation to their paddy fields, preventing the potential loss to their crop.