Jaipur : About a week before the Rajasthan Assembly elections, farmers of Sri Ganga Canal believe that unequal distribution of water through the Ganga Canal is one of the most important issues that will remain in the minds of voters during voting in the state. Farmers accused the Congress government in Rajasthan and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab of making allegations and counter-allegations on this issue. Farmers accused political leaders of depriving them of their share of water and said the flow of water from Punjab has been diverted to Pakistan.
Maharaja Ganga Singh built Ganga Canal in 1927
Ranjit Singh Raju of Rajasthan Gramin Kisan Mazdoor Samiti said that the canal system we have here was established in 1927. It was considered one of the world’s first systems to distribute water. With the change in power, a lot of corruption was done in the name of reconstruction of the Ganga Canal. When Maharaja Ganga Singh built this canal, water distribution for both Punjab and Rajasthan was equal, but now it has become unequal.
Farmers irrigating crops with chemical water
Raju said that farmers of Ganga Canal and surrounding areas are facing problems due to shortage of irrigation water and the existing water is contaminated with chemicals. He said that there is corruption in the process of releasing water from Punjab. This is something which is not being paid attention to. The canal is also being closed from time to time and the farmers here are facing great problems in the supply of water. The government should monitor and ensure equitable distribution across all states.
Farmers demonstrated in September
In September this year, more than 10,000 farmers of the Ganga Canal had protested demanding the release of their share of water. The protesting farmers had blocked the main highway for three days, surrounded the district collector’s office for three more days and also closed five entry gates into the Ganga canal city. Campaigning for the assembly elections to be held on November 25 is going on in full swing in the state. In such a situation, Congress, BJP and independent candidates of Ganga Canal have assured the farmers that their problem of distribution of water through Ganga Canal will be taken care of.
Ganga canal water is being sent to Pakistan
Farmer Vikramjit Singh said that farmers should get 2,500 cusecs of water daily from the Ganga Canal. He said that the next government of the state should resolve this issue. He said that here we farmers do not get the share of water to which we are entitled. We have taken to the streets many times to protest. It is our right to get equal share of water. We should get about 2,500 cusecs of water daily from the Ganga Canal, but our quota of water has been diverted to Pakistan. We have put our demands before the city administration several times and we want the next government to resolve this issue.
Farmers have been protesting from time to time since 2016
Gramin Kisan Mazdoor Samiti spokesperson Galaxy Brar said that the farmers here have been protesting from time to time since 2016. Brar alleged that governments changed. Be it BJP or Congress, no one paid attention to this issue. Punjab and Rajasthan are playing a game of blame and counter blame against each other and then together they blame the Centre.