JAMMU, Aug 21:A delegation from Arnia border belt, under the leadership of Neeraj Kundan, today called on Irrigation Minister Javed Ahmed Rana and strongly raised the long-pending issue of the non-functional irrigation lift at Arnia.
The irrigation lift, which has remained completely non-operational since 2014, has severely disrupted agricultural activities in the entire region. Farmers of Arnia border belt and surrounding villages have been facing acute water shortage for irrigation for the last twelve years, resulting in sharp decline in crop yields, heavy financial losses, and extreme hardship for thousands of agrarian families.
The continuous non-functioning of this critical infrastructure has pushed agriculture in the area into a state of crisis. Neeraj Kundan, while addressing the minister, stated that the prolonged dysfunction of the Arnia irrigation lift is unacceptable and has caused irreparable damage to the farming community. He urged the minister to take immediate and concrete steps for its restoration so that farmers can once again receive assured irrigation water and agricultural productivity can be revived. The delegation also demanded proper and regular water supply to Kool Kalan Basti No. 1 and Kool Kalan Basti No. 2, which continue to suffer from inadequate drinking and irrigation water facilities.
The minister was apprised of the ground situation in detail and requested to prioritise the repair and reactivation of the Arnia lift as a matter of urgency. The Minister gave a patient hearing to the delegation and assured that the issue would be resolved at the earliest. The
meeting was attended by Block President Kailash Saini, Sarpanch Pachel Subash Singh Saini, Major Singh, Tarsem Singh Saini, Joginder Singh, Ashwani Kumar, Faqir Singh, Satpal Bhagat, Rakesh Kumar Bhagat, Bunty, Mohinder Kumar and others.
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