Sudurpaschim Province
Road stretch opened through the fields prepared for paddy plantation
According to the farmers, the bulldozers also destroyed water supply pipelines of three drinking water projects and over 100 ropanis of paddy plantation.Basant Pratap Singh
On Wednesday, farmers were busy planting paddy saplings at Patadewal in Khaptadchhanna Rural Municipality-6, Bajhang.
More than 20 families were preparing their fields for paddy plantation in Aagase when the canal suddenly dried up at 12 noon.
The farmers thought that the village children had played havoc on the canal, but soon found that the canal was destroyed by two bulldozers used by Lamtada Kalukheti Thamlek Ring Road Consumer Committee to open a road stretch through the fields.
“All of us rushed to repair the canal thinking that it was damaged,” said Dane Agri, a native of Patadewal. “But when I saw what was happening, I lost my mind looking at the destruction but could not do anything. I just watched the bulldozers destroy the fields and our paddy.”
According to the farmers, the bulldozers also destroyed water supply pipelines of three drinking water projects and over 100 ropanis of paddy plantation.
Paddy plantation in Aagase has come to a halt after the bulldozers destroyed the irrigation canal and farmers are worried about the paddy saplings drying up.
People living in Kosedi, Tallo Pujari Gaun, Tiune and Rajkot villages are reeling under acute water shortage after the destruction of the water supply pipelines.
Shyam Bahadur Thapa, secretary of the Rajkot Drinking Water Project, said that locals have been compelled to drink murky water from a stream. “We have to walk for at least an hour to fetch water from the stream,” said Thapa, adding that the representatives of Lamtada Kalukheti Thamlek Ring Road Consumer Committee did not seek consent of the locals before initiating the road construction. “The whole village is suffering because of the committee’s decision,” he adds.
“Farmers and individual households have been greatly affected due to their negligence,” said Prem Agri, a local man, adding that more than eight irrigation canals in Khaptadchhanna Rural Municipality have been destroyed.
Surendra Bahadur Singh, chairman of the consumers’ committee, however, tried to play down the incident, saying that damage is to be expected when development activities are under way.
“We have to go ahead with development programmes and we know that much damage has been done. We will repair the damaged irrigation canals and water supply pipelines in the next five days,” said Singh, “we have to commence construction works anyhow because we cannot work after the fiscal year ends.”