Rain misery: Inundated fields, submerged crops worry Muktsar farmers
Rain water has flooded fields in many villages of the district including Udekaran, Thandewala, Kotli, Jammuana, Haraj, Wattu, Lubaniawali and Sakkanwali .
Inundated fields and submerged crops after the first rainfall of the season has made farmers in Punjab’s Muktsar a worried lot.
Rain water has flooded fields in many villages of the district including Udekaran, Thandewala, Kotli, Jammuana, Haraj, Wattu, Lubaniawali and Sakkanwali .
To tackle the situation, the administration has appointed a nodal officer too keep a check on 10 villages. Farmers fear that their crops including cotton and paddy are likely to be damaged, causing them huge monetary losses. They are blaming the administration for not cleaning the drains before the monsoons.
“I have sown cotton crop in two acres. Rainfall has ruined my crop. I will not be able to pay my debt. The state government should pay suitable compensation to the affected farmers” said, Resham Singh, a farmer.
Muktsar Deputy Commissioner, Aravind Kumar on Thursday visited Babania, Ghagga, Gurusar, Lundewala and Giljewala villages in Gidderbaha sub division of the district.
He directed the panchayats to utilize their funds for rescue operations and also directed the discom officials to provide uninterrupted power supply for rescue operations.
Meanwhile, protests of the farmers continued on Thursday also. Farmers under the banner of Bharti Kisan Union (Sidhupur) protested near village Bhullar. Addressing the protesters, Sukhdev Singh, president, BKU alleged, “The cleanliness of drains was not conducted properly. Rain has caused havoc. Muktsar is prone to water logging. Hundreds of acres of crop have submerged due to Rainfall.”
“The water is standing in the fields even after two days of rainfall. It is likely to damage our crops. We met the officials for cleanliness of the drains before the onset of monsoon season.” said, Pooran Singh of village Wattu.
When contacted, Avtar Singh, District Revenue Officer (DRO) Muktsar, said, “As per preliminary reports, about 15000 acres fields of about 50 villages are inundated. The loss will be assessed once the water is drained. Panchayats in the villages are trying to drain the water. We are tackling the situation. We are appealing the public not to obstruct natural flow of water.”