10 years on, mega lift irrigation scheme awaits completion in Pulwama
Pulwama: Even after a lapse of around a decade, a mega lift irrigation scheme in Chakoora area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district is awaiting completion due to which local farmers are suffering.
Locals said that around a decade back and after repeated deliberations, a scheme was approved for the area and work too was kick started on the scheme.
They said that around 80 percent of work on the scheme has been completed but work has been put on halt for past two years due to unknown reasons.
“We don’t have any irrigation facilities available for our orchards due to which we are left to suffer in summer season as we have no alternate available for irrigating our orchards”, Shahid Ahmad, a local resident said.
He said that after the work on the scheme was started, many growers cut down their almond trees which need very less water and planted apple trees so that they could reap better dividends.
“But as the scheme hasn’t been completed, the growers of the area have been left to suffer,” Shahid added.
Locals also said that due to unavailability of irrigation the trees are drying up and production remains very low.
“There are hundreds of kanals of land in the area which do not have any irrigation facilities available and if the scheme will be made functional the entire land which has become barren due to unavailability of irrigation facilities in the area can be converted into productive land,” locals said.
“We have brought this issue into the notice of higher ups several times but no concrete step has been taken on ground,” they said.
They have sought intervention of Deputy Commissioner Pulwama in this regard.
Meanwhile, an official of the department said that scheme is lying incomplete due to paucity of funds.
“Earlier locals provided land voluntarily, however, later they claimed compensation due to which work on the scheme got delayed,: he said, adding that all these issues have been taken up with higher ups.
Around 80 percent of the work on the scheme is complete and very soon work will be restarted to complete it so that locals can heave a sigh of relief.
