Farmers protest over waterlogging in Jagatsinghpur

JAGATSINGHPUR: Hundreds of farmers of Raghunathpur and Biridi blocks on Thursday staged a protest demanding compensation for losses incurred by them due to accumulation of rainwater on their land.

Farmers of 30 villages in the two blocks staged the protest in front of Raghunathpur block office alleging excess water from Hansua river has entered their land causing crop loss. Paddy saplings over 3,000 hectare land have been damaged in the villages. Sources said Hansua river has not been dredged since ages preventing flow of rainwater to Jatadhari river mouth. What’s worse is that the Jatadhari river mouth too has not been dredged and it has been causing rainwater to stagnate on the farms for the last 10 to 15 days.

Farmers, who had taken up cultivation after availing loans from cooperative societies, are in distress. With three to four feet water still stagnated on their farms, the chances of survival of crops are bleak. The farmers, under the banner of Zilla Krushak Sangathan, led by its secretary Babaji Charan Jena urged authorities to find a permanent solution to the waterlogging issue. Later in the day, Raghunathpur tehsildar Abhipasa Patnaik pacified the farmers after which the protest was called off. CDAO (in charge), Purnendu Shekhar Acharya, said nearly 1,850 hectare of paddy crops have been submerged. He said a survey would be conducted to assess the damage.