Farmers lie on Rajgarh highway over power and irrigation water, jam lasts 90 minutes

Farmers angry over the lack of electricity and irrigation water lay down on the Jaipur-Jabalpur national highway in front of the Collectorate in Rajgarh on Tuesday afternoon. Traffic on the highway was jammed for about an hour and a half. The farmers said they would not leave the road until the problem was resolved.

Farmers from Bhumariya-Papdel and nearby villages in Khilchipur tehsil have been facing a power problem for 25 days, and their fields cannot be irrigated as a result. According to the farmers, power supply is poor in about 25 villages of the tehsil. They said they had submitted applications to officials earlier, but the problem was not resolved.

During the jam, police tried to clear vehicles by removing barricades from the road. The farmers then lay down on the highway. A scuffle also broke out between police and the farmers. Former MLA Hemraj Kalponi reached the spot to be with the farmers.

The electricity department said the grid is overloaded. Some farmers also alleged that a lineman demanded money to restore power. Villagers said that when the canal valves are opened, there is no power, and when power comes, the valves are shut. As a result, water does not reach the fields.

The farmers said the delay in irrigation is affecting crops and that some families are being pushed towards migration. They demanded that the responsibility of the operator and the lineman be fixed and action be taken.

The farmers submitted a memorandum addressed to the Collector demanding that the power problem in the 25 villages be resolved. Villagers of Pipalya Khas submitted a separate memorandum. They said they are getting water from Box No. 24 of the Mahanpura project, but because the second lift is not operating, enough water is not reaching the village. They demanded water from Box No. 21.

After the protest, the superintending engineer of the power company and Deputy Collector Nidhi Bhardwaj spoke to the farmers. The officials assured them that the operator and lineman concerned would be removed, a five-member inquiry team would be formed, and arrangements would be improved within three days. The farmers then ended the blockade and traffic on the highway resumed.