JAMMU, July 06: Senior BJP leader and former minister Ch. Sukhnandan Kumar on Monday expressed serious concern over the deteriorating condition of irrigation and power infrastructure across the Jammu region, alleging that farmers are facing immense hardships during the crucial paddy sowing season due to administrative failure and lack of timely intervention.
In a statement, Sukhnandan said the farming community in the R.S. Pura, Bishnah and Marh belt is battling an unprecedented crisis, with irrigation canals lying uncleansed, several tube wells remaining defunct, damaged irrigation infrastructure, and an erratic power supply severely disrupting agricultural operations. He said that despite the commencement of the sowing season, the authorities have failed to ensure the basic facilities required by farmers, leaving thousands of cultivators anxious about their crops and livelihoods. "The government appears to be indifferent to the plight of our farmers. At a time when every hour is crucial for paddy transplantation, irrigation canals have not been cleaned, many tube wells are lying non-functional, and farmers at the tail-end of irrigation channels are not receiving even a drop of water," Sukhnandan said.
He alleged that several irrigation wells have been damaged and remain unrepaired, while power outages have compounded the problems of farmers who depend on electric tube wells for irrigation. "The electricity situation in the rural areas is equally alarming. Farmers are facing prolonged power cuts, transformers have developed faults but are not being replaced promptly, and receiving stations are not functioning efficiently. In Lahori Chak in the Marh area, the receiving station is reportedly non-operative since last three and half years, causing immense inconvenience to the farming community and residents alike," he said, adding this is lying defunct for the last three and half years. Sukhnandan maintained that the present situation reflects poor planning and lack of coordination among the concerned departments, adding that repeated complaints from farmers have failed to evoke any meaningful response from the administration. He said that agriculture remains the backbone of the rural economy in Jammu, and any disruption in irrigation and electricity supply during the sowing season could adversely impact crop production and the financial condition of farming families.
"The government must wake up to the ground realities. Farmers cannot be left at the mercy of administrative negligence. Timely irrigation and uninterrupted power supply are not luxuries but essential requirements for agricultural activities," he remarked. The former minister said he has sought the personal intervention of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to ensure immediate restoration of irrigation facilities, repair of damaged irrigation tube wells and transformers, operationalisation of the receiving station at Lahori Chak, cleaning of irrigation canals, and uninterrupted electricity supply across the affected areas like Sai, Arnia and many other area. Expressing confidence that the Lieutenant Governor would take prompt cognisance of the issues, Sukhnandan urged the administration to act without delay to safeguard the interests of the farming community and prevent further losses during the ongoing cultivation season.
He also appealed to the concerned departments to launch an emergency drive to restore irrigation and power infrastructure so that farmers can complete sowing operations without further hardship. End
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