Under the call of the Rahi Block Committee of the All India Kisan Mahasabha (AIKM), a two-day sit-in began on March 16 at Vikas Bhawan Raebareli (Uttar Pradesh), demanding the connection of the Sai Raghunathpur Pump Canal to the Sharda Auxiliary Supply Canal under the jurisdiction of the Laghudal Division, Lucknow.
Addressing the first day of the protest, Rahi Block President of the Kisan Mahasabha, Sunil Kumar, said that for a long time, farmers have been demanding uninterrupted irrigation water by linking Sai Raghunathpur Pump to the Sharda Canal. “Despite the justness of this demand, it has been continuously ignored. Water sources exist nearby, yet absurd measures continue to extract water from a dry river. Thousands of bighas of land remain unirrigated, pushing farmers towards the brink of starvation. The Assistant Engineer of the Laghudal Division, Lucknow, had already admitted in a 2022 report that water supply is inadequate,” he said.
Uday Raj Yadav, District Co-ordinator of AIARLA, added that for years farmers have been running from office to office with no response. “The Irrigation Division, Raebareli, keeps turning us around in circles and rejects farmers’ rightful demands on baseless grounds,” he said.
He further explained that the connection of the canal from the Sharda Auxiliary Supply Canal can be achieved by providing water to the dry minor canal passing near Palia (Bhav), which would immediately benefit vast unirrigated areas including Kuchariya, Jhakarasi, and Bhadokhar. “Even today, two-thirds of the irrigated area remains deprived of water. Dozens of villages cannot access water, and a large region faces severe irrigation shortages,” he added.
Rahi Secretary Mohammad Naeem stated that repeated attempts have been made to draw the administration’s attention, but the district administration merely forwards their letters to the Irrigation Department, absolving itself of responsibility. The Irrigation Department and Laghudal Division continue to create new excuses, discarding farmers’ demands instead of resolving the issue. “This has now made a decisive movement inevitable. We demand the formation of a committee of experts, including the Laghudal Division, Irrigation Division Raebareli, the district administration, and the Kisan Mahasabha, to find a concrete solution,” he said.
The sit-in was attended by AICCTU District Secretary Ram Gopal Lodhi, Shivam Yadav, CPI(ML) Rahi Block Secretary Hari Lal, and Kisan Mahasabha District President Phool Chandra Maurya, underscoring the united front of farmers’ organisations in the fight for irrigation rights.
