Jalandhar: Villagers troubled by leakage of water from Kandi Canal staged a protest

Punjab: People of Damowal, Goiwal, Narnaul, Karoda and Wadala villages adjoining the Kandi Canal near Datarpur town are facing the problem of water seepage. The villagers have repeatedly raised the issue with the Kandi Canal Department, but to no avail. The affected villagers, led by the respective sarpanches, staged a sit-in protest against the state government and the Kandi Canal Department near the canal gate in Wadala village. They ended the protest after MLA Karambir Singh Ghuman’s assurance. During the protest, the villagers accused the government and the canal department of giving false assurances besides not paying attention to their problems. Sarpanches Sanyogita Devi, Ramandeep Singh and Rajiv Dadwal of Narnaul, Damowal and Goiwal villages told the media that since the concrete lining of the Kandi Canal was done in 2020, the villages are facing the problem of siltation due to seepage of canal water. The groundwater level is up to 2.5 feet during the summer season. But during the rainy and winter seasons, this level increases and there is a danger of houses collapsing. The villagers have raised the matter before the Kandi Canal Department, local administration and the state government several times, but there has been no proper solution. In the absence of any solution, the affected villagers started a joint dharna at 10 am under the leadership of the concerned panchayats. International wrestler and retired police officer Nirmal Singh and young BJP leader Ankit Rana also joined the dharna. On getting information about the dharna, Dasuha MLA Karambir Singh Ghumman reached the spot and assured the protesters that the problem would be resolved soon. He has spoken to senior officials of the Kandi Canal Department. On Monday, all the officials will reach the spot along with the panchayats of the affected villages and take stock of the situation and find a proper solution to the problem. MLA Ghumman said that if the department does not find a solution, they will join the dharna. After the assurance given by the MLA, the villagers ended the dharna at around 2 pm. He warned that if the problem is not resolved soon, they will intensify their struggle. A large number of affected people and SDO of Canal Department Jatinder Singh were also present on the occasion.