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Battle over irrigation water resumes

Special Correspondent

Farmers' sit-ins planned in major agricultural towns in Sriganganagar district

JAIPUR: The farmers of the Phase I area of the Indira Gandhi Canal Project resumed their maha padav (big siege) in Sriganganagar district's Gharsana in Rajasthan on Saturday after a month marking the beginning of another round of bitter battle over irrigation water.

Thousands turned up at the padav site despite prohibitory orders in force in the town. In order to avoid a confrontation with the farmers the authorities lifted the imposition of Section 144 from the area during the day.

Leaders of the Communist Party of India, Vasudev and Amra Ram, MLA, local Congress leaders, Prithipal Singh, Heeralal Indora and Ramlal Jat MLA were among those who addressed farmers at the padav site.

"The farmers' morale is very high. Even when it is the turn of the area to receive water in their farmlands thousands opted to join the padav," Prof. Vasudev said.

There was some tension in the area initially as the police, in a follow up to the preventive arrests they had made on the eve of the current round of agitations, tried to arrest four persons, including an SFI leader.

Police withdraw

However, following threats from the crowd of a repeat of the incidents that took place in Chaiya village a fortnight ago, the police retreated.

Gharsana is to be the first of many farmers' sit-ins planned by the Kisan Mazdoor Vyapari Sangarsh Samiti (KMVSS), the Congress and the Left parties in the Bikaner division in the wake of the break up of the talks last week between their representatives and the Bharatiya Janata Party Government in the State.

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