Paddy fields dry up due to ‘negligence’ of Irrigation Department

A Correspondent

Boko: Under Medhipara Flow Irrigation Scheme of the Assam State Irrigation department, a sluice gate on Boko River at Medhapara village under Boko constituency was completed on May 31, 2017 and on the same day, the Assam State Irrigation, Textile and Handloom Minister Ranjit Dutta inaugurated the scheme.

The scheme covers thousands of bighas of paddy land in Medhipara, Bakarapara, Kaithpara, Dari, Payranga, Auniati and Kaalgaon villages under Boko constituency. Earlier, villagers of these villages arranged irrigation by blocking the Boko River in various places step by step and they managed to have good production every year. This was the main paddy production area of Boko. Moreover, they also successfully reared fish in these fields.

After the scheme was inaugurated in 2017, people of the area had access to water supply from the project. But this year, the Boko irrigation department locked all the canals doors due to which water could not reach paddy fields through the sub canals. As a result, farmers are suffering. They have prepared paddy saplings but have been forced to use these saplings as cattle feed. The government has announced many schemes, including providing loan to farmers, but the irrigation department has forced farmers to abandon their paddy fields by locking the gate water canal before a month.

Jamir Ali, a villager, said, “Last year, the irrigation department collected Rs 50 per bigha land from farmers to supply water and issued receipts without any official seal. But this year the department has not started supply water and also not collected money from farmers.”

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