Farmers and labourers from Haryana and Rajasthan on Wednesday warned of a protest outside the residence of Haryana Irrigation Minister Shruti Choudhry if the cleaning and strengthening work on the Hisar-Ghaggar drain is not completed by June 20.
The warning was issued during a mahapanchayat held at Ottu Head in Sirsa district, where farmers expressed concern over recurring floods, waterlogging and crop losses caused by the poor condition of the drain.
Farmer leaders Sandeep Dhiranwas and former Rajasthan MLA Balwan Poonia said the administration had assured them that desilting of the drain, removal of thorny bushes and strengthening of embankments would be completed by June 20. If the work is not finished by then, farmers from Haryana and Rajasthan will gather in Bhiwani on June 25 to stage a protest and seek answers from the state government, they said.
The leaders also announced a farmers" meeting at Nathusari Chopta on June 22 to review the progress of the work.
Hundreds of farmers and labourers from Hisar, Bhiwani and adjoining areas of Rajasthan attended the mahapanchayat. They demanded a permanent solution to flooding and waterlogging caused by the Hisar-Sirsa multipurpose Ghaggar drain.
Addressing the gathering, Sirsa Congress district president Santosh Beniwal urged local MLA Arjun Chautala to raise the issue in the Assembly, warning that farmers could stage a protest outside his residence if their demands continued to be ignored.
Farmer leaders alleged that despite repeated announcements and budget allocations, little work had been carried out on the ground. They claimed that several villages had suffered crop losses due to breaches in the drain, while many fields remain submerged under 3 to 4 feet of water.
Farmer leader Prakash Singh Mamera said flood-like conditions still persist in parts of the region and recalled similar losses suffered by farmers last year.
Among the key demands raised at the mahapanchayat were desilting of the Hisar-Ghaggar drain, strengthening of embankments, installation of a lift irrigation system at Ottu Head and the release of Ghaggar river water into the South Ghaggar Canal and Dhani Sheran Floody Minor.
Farmers also burnt an effigy of the Haryana Government and warned that their agitation would continue until their demands were met. They alleged that no senior official had visited the protest site to hear their grievances.
