Breach in canal, wheat crop over 300 acres damaged in Fatehabad
A 30ft wide breach was reported in the embankment of the Fatehabad canal at 1pm on Saturday; earthmovers were pressed into service and workers of the irrigation department deputed to plug the breach
› The workers of the irrigation department are trying to plug the breach at the earliest. An inquiry will be conducted into the incident to ascertain the cause behind the breach.
› HARDEEP SINGH, DC, Fatehabad The crop in the fields along the canal has been completely damaged. The government must announce girdawari of our fields, so we can get proper compensation. RAM SINGH, farmer
HISAR: Wheat crop over 300 acres of agricultural land at Badopal village of Fatehabad district was damaged, due to flooding after a 30-feet wide breach in the embankment of the Fatehabad canal on Saturday afternoon.
Fatehabad deputy commissioner (DC) Hardeep Singh and superintendent engineer (Se-irrigation) OP Bishnoi rushed to the spot with earthmovers, police force and workers of the irrigation department to plug the breach.
Farmers cited poor quality maintenance work on the embankment as the reason behind the breach and demanded a special girdwari (survey) of their agriculture field.
“The standing wheat crop in the fields, which was ready to be harvested, was damaged. Now everything has been washed away due to the flooding in the fields,” said Vinod Karwasra, a farmer who owns more than five acres of agriculture land near the canal.
Ram Singh, another farmer, said, “The crop in the fields along the canal has been completely damaged. The government and the local administration must announce special girdwari of our fields, so we can get proper compensation.”
Farmesr Chhailu Ram, Raj Kumar and Hanuman Singh said that it was about 1pm, when they came to know about the breach. The farmers reported the matter to the irrigation department and rushed to the spot with mud-bags to plug the breach.
While talking to mediapersons, DC Hardeep Singh said, “As soon as we came to know about the matter, we rushed to the spot. Earthmovers were pressed into service and workers of the irrigation department are trying to plug the breach at the earliest.”
He added that an inquiry would be conducted into the incident to ascertain the cause behind the breach.
SE Bishnoi said, “Workers of the irrigation department are on the job. We expect that the breach will be plugged by the evening.”
Local MLA Balwan Singh Daulatpuria (INLD) also reached the spot and asked the administration to plug the breach at the earliest and conduct a prompt girdawari to assess the crop damage.
“The wheat crop, which was ready for harvest, has been damaged by flooding. The government must announce adequate compensation for the affected farmers so that they can tide over the crisis,” Daulatpuria added.