Pulwama residents demand restoration of irrigation facilities to orchards
Pulwama: The residents of Bellow area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district have demanded restoration of irrigation facilities to their orchards.
The residents of Bellow and it’s adjacent areas in Pulwama district said that the area had good irrigation facilities till last year.
Last year a road was constructed through the orchards blocking the small irrigation canal at several spots due to which there are no irrigation facilities available right now.
Bilal Ahmad, a local resident said that locals had provided their land for the construction of the road but they were not aware that it will deprive them of irrigational facilities.
He said that due to unavailability of irrigation facilities in this soaring summer heat their fruit bearing trees are drying up but no attention is being given up towards this grave issue.
The locals said that they immediately need to irrigate their orchards otherwise they will dry up due to soaring heat since last two months.
They said they are not against construction of road but authorities should have cleared the irrigation facilities at that time.
“We have brought this issue into the notice of higher ups several times but to no avail,” the locals said.
The orchard owners have now requested DC Pulwama to look into the matter and direct RDD department who constructed the road to clear the canal so that people can irrigate their orchards on time.
