The Hindu : Other States / Rajasthan News : Talks fails, farmers to resume stir

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Tuesday, Nov 23, 2004

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Other States - Rajasthan

Talks fails, farmers to resume stir

By Our Special Correspondent

JAIPUR, NOV. 22 .The talks between the joint action committee of farmers, demanding assured supply of irrigation water in the Indira Gandhi Canal Project Phase I area, and the Group of Ministers of the Rajasthan Government in Sriganganagar district's Ghadsana failed on Sunday. There were incidents of stone pelting as the Ministers made their way through the milling farmers gathered outside the venue of talks.

The failure of the talks has prompted the Kisan Mazdoor Vyapari Sangarsh Samiti, spearheading the movement which had claimed five lives in police firing last month, to announce the resumption of the agitation from tomorrow.

The State Government, which reviewed the situation here under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister, Vasundhara Raje ordered the suspension of the Additional District Magistrate and Sub Divisional Magistrate, who were posted in Sriganganagar district at the time of the outbreak of the agitation in the last week of October.

The Government has also removed the Colonization Commissioner, Ramavatar Raghuvanshi, and has given the charge to the newly- posted Divisional Commissioner, Shrimat Pandey.

"The State Government was not serious about the talks and we knew this from the beginning,'' Hetram Beniwal, secretary of the Communist Party of India(Marxist), Sriganganagar, who led the members of the farmers' action committee in the talks, told this Correspondent on phone. "The State Government is playing games with the Canal water. Its intentions are doubtful,'' he said.

The talks in which the Home Minister, G.C.Kataria, the Irrigation Minister, Sanwarlal Jat and the PWD Minister, Rajendra Singh Rathore represented the State Government reportedly failed when the farmers insisted on a written assurance on continued supply of 5.23 cusecs of water for an area under 1,000 acres. In addition they also sought reserving 58 per cent of the available water from the Harrike head for the Phase I area. "The Ministers agreed on all our demands in principle but wriggled out of any written commitment,'' Mr.Beniwal revealed. "We had also suggested that if the Chief Minister, Vasundhara Raje, made an announcement to this effect we would call off the agitation but that too was not agreeable to them,'' he noted.

"We are seeking an assurance from the authorities for reserving the original share of 8,200 cusecs of water for the 12.51 lakh acres falling under the Phase I area. The bureaucracy understands our argument but the Ministers don't,'' he said.

The originally stipulated share of rest of the command areas of the canal is 5,900 cusecs purported to irrigate 16 lakh acres in the Phase II. "The Planning Commission has advised against any attempt to take a part of the existing water to the Phase III areas of the Canal. The Governments have been making promises from the limited water,'' Mr.Beniwal pointed out.

Meanwhile, Ms.Raje, after talking with the Ministers here on their return from Sriganganagar, said water would be released three times more for the standing crops of Rabi in the Canal areas. Arrangements were being made for adequate supply of irrigation water for the next year's Rabi as well. The State Government has also constituted an experts committee of officials to study the water needs of the Canal area and submit a report.

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