Farmers in Jammu’s border villages helpless without irrigation facility: BJP leader

Senior BJP leader Choudhary Sukhnandan Kumar Tuesday demanded that water supply should be ensured to border villages in Jammu through a canal as farmers are helpless without irrigation facility.

He said the farmers cultivating world famous Basmati rice in R S Pura and adjoining areas are neglected by the Irrigation Department as it completely failed to ensure canal water to the tail-end villages along the International Border.

''Prime Minister Narendra Modi and J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha have always assured full support to the farmers but the technical and non-technical officials of Irrigation department have fixed the timing of the canal water without understanding the water crisis in rural areas for irrigation,'' Kumar, a former minister, said.

Earlier, he said the Ranbir canal water supply was sufficient till Ramgarh and its adjoining areas in Samba district, but one fails to understand how the irrigation department has now failed to provide irrigation water to the local farmers of Jammu border villages.

''The concerned department should ensure Ravi, Tawi and Chenab River canal water reach to border villages. However, if they cannot do it, the government should step in to make sure the farmers are provided electricity 24X7 in the border villages,'' he told reporters here.

He said since the canal water is not available to the tail-end villages, the farmers use water pumps as an alternative source to irrigate their fertile fields but then electricity supply remains disrupted.

''If the farmers are provided electricity as an option to the canal water, they can use groundwater for irrigation purposes in their fields and it would strengthen the farmers financially. The department concerned should not ignore the demands of the farmers who are the backbone of the rural economy,'' he said.