Abohar,

Known for rich growth of Narma cotton, Abohar may not maintain its decades-long status this time primarily due to acute shortage of canal water. To air their concern, farmers, on a call given by the Bhartiya Kisan Union Ekta-Ugrahan, staged a dharna near the interstate border on the state highway on Saturday. Union district president Sukhmander Singh led the protest outside Rajpura village on the state highway. Farmers said the Irrigation Department had closed the canal system in the Abohar circle for three weeks in April under the pretext of cleaning sub-canals, but did nothing stating that the state government had not released funds. The officials did not explore the provision of utilising MGNREGA workers’ services. Punjab Agricultural University scientists had advised to start cotton seed sowing by April 20, but water had not been released in the Lambi minor (sub-canal) and Sukhchain minor so far, they said. They claimed that farmers in Bajitpura Bhoma, Rampura, Narayanpura, Himmatpura, Bishanpura, Shergarh, Sherewala, Jhurarkhera, Pattisadiq, Bhagsar and Wahabwala were yet to start cotton sowing. “It may not be possible for them to pay back loans that they had taken from cooperative and other financing institutions,” they feared.