Banda district. It might have finally rained in Banda as September arrived, but the farmers here have already paid a heavy price for the kharif crop which is all but lost. Even though farmers in various parts of Bundelkhand have been agitating for the last few months, there has been no word from the state government. In Banda, on 2 September, once again farmers approached their respective tehsils demanding drought to be declared in the region.
Prior to bringing up the issue in the tehsil many farmers also demanded for a declaration of drought at the Banda tehsil on 29 August. They also demanded appropriate compensation for farmers who have borne losses this season. Ramshri from Jaurhi village, Ramsakhi from Duredi, Ramkishor from Tindwara, Bhagwandin from Saimra, and Ramsharan from Poon village were among the hundreds of farmers who were part of the protest. They handed over a list of their demands to the Sub Divisional Magistrate (S.D.M.) to be sent to the Chief Minister. District Magistrate of Banda Harendra Veer Singh said that the farmers’ memorandum would be sent to the Chief Minister as only the state government could declare drought.
Water Released in Minors Also Fails to Reach Fields
Jauharpur and Saimri villages, Banda district. In times of delayed and below subnormal rainfall, farmers in many villages in the district are facing trouble with artificial modes of irrigation. In Jauharpur and Saimri, farmers have been complaining about water from minors not reaching the fields as pump canals are not working properly.
Farmers from Jauharpur in Tindwari block had reported the matter to the Irrigation Department as early as August but there has been no action from the Department even after the end of a difficult month for the farmers. The Junior Engineer responsible, Manoj Kumar explained that there was too much water in the minor at one point and so they had to cut off all connections. Now that levels have come down, they plan to get the pump canals to work again. The Bhartiya Kisaan Union (BKU) has also taken up the issue with the administration.
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