Over 500 illegal pipelines removed from canal in Sirsa
In a major step to ensure fair water distribution to farmers, the Irrigation Department in Sirsa has successfully removed over 500 illegal water pipes from the flood-linked canal system connected to the Ghaggar. The action, which was completed on Thursday, followed complaints from tail-end farmers who said they were being denied canal water due to unauthorised diversions by others upstream.
The operation was carried out by the department under the supervision of Executive Engineer Sandeep Kumar Sharma, Sub-Divisional Engineer Dharampal Panwar and Junior Engineer Anand Kumar, with support from the local police led by Sadar police station in-charge Sukhdev Singh. Initially, there was resistance from some farmers, but with the help of police and administrative officers, the situation was handled peacefully. One farmer leader was briefly taken into custody but later released.
Sub-Divisional Engineer Panwar explained that illegal pipelines had been siphoning off massive volumes of water before it could reach downstream villages. For instance, in the Rattakhera Kharif canal, which has a capacity of 289 cusecs, around 150 illegal pipes were extracting up to 350 cusecs more than the total capacity, leaving little or no water for farmers in the last five of the eight villages served by the canal.
The department’s efforts covered seven flood-linked channels — Rattakhera Kharif, GBSM, Sahdeva Kharif, Bhagsar Kharif, Chamal Kharif, Naiwala Kharif, Balasar Kharif, and Kussar Kharif. With illegal diversions removed, officials believe that water will now reach every village equally, especially during the upcoming monsoon season.
However, the road to this outcome was not smooth. An advocate had filed a case in the Sirsa court to stop the removal work, resulting in a stay order. The Irrigation Department challenged this in the High Court, which promptly cancelled the stay, clearing the way for the team to continue the cleanup operation.
Meanwhile, Kumari Selja, Member of Parliament from Sirsa, has written to Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Thursday, voicing serious concerns over the alleged mismanagement in the distribution of canal water. In her letter, she criticised the state government for failing to act despite repeated complaints from farmers. During her recent visit to Sirsa, she met with farmers who shared that the uneven water supply is deepening tensions and causing widespread hardship among agricultural communities.
Selja called for a transparent and farmer friendly irrigation policy, proper monitoring systems, and the cleaning and maintenance of canals before the monsoon. She urged the Chief Minister to act swiftly to restore farmers’ faith in the administration.
Meanwhile tensions persist in villages like Shekhupuria and Karamgarh, where farmers allege that illegal pipelines still exist, depriving them of water. They claimed politically connected farmers in upper villages are being protected, and questioned the selective removal of illegal connections.
Haryana Tribune