Farmers demand to complete Rukuna MIP before paddy season

Angul, May 24: Farmers have demanded completion of Rukuna Minor Irrigation Project before this paddy season. They appeal the authorities of water resources and the Minor Irrigation Department to construct the canal and other essential components of the project before the end of the monsoon. Rukuna Minor Irrigation Project which is under Construction on Rukuna Nalah at Khinda village in Angul block is yet to be completed. The department had scheduled to complete the whole project before October 2020. Accordingly, the check dam, sluice gate, the siphon system and the network of canal should be fully constructed within the stipulated time. However, the check dam has only been completed so far. The executing agency has yet completed the dam and the guard wall of it while the sluice gate is assigned to the Odisha Construction Corporation (OCC) Ltd. The OCC has taken the measurement of the head Sluice gates, but the gates have not been erected so far. Similarly, the exterior work of the dam has not started yet. The underground piping network and the siphon system are to begin. A govt. agency is said to be taking over the rest work. At the same time, the construction of canal has not begun to dispense the dam water to the lower catchment. On the other hand, about 13 thousand farmers of three Gram Panchayats those thirstily wait for the project have started paddy cultivation from the Akshay Tritiya. They are in fear for the scarce of rainfall and drought that they face almost every year. Farmers in the aegis of Angul Zilla Krushak  Samaj has appealed the concerned department to complete the project before August so that the farmers won’t face drought situation this year. The Convener of the farmers ally Dharanidhar Sahu has appealed the authorities to make the project functional from this crop season dispensing the dam water in the existing canal before this monsoon.