Breach in canal, crop on 60 acres inundated

Our Correspondent

Fazilka, March 7

The standing wheat crop on 50-60 acres near Puran Patti village was inundated following a breach in the Jandwala minor canal today.

Farmers Gurmit Singh, Nand Ram, Dalip Singh, Indraj and Vinod Kumar said that the water flow had been stopped for the repair of a bridge on the canal but the department released water all of a sudden resulting in the breach.

The farmers said that many poor farmers have been carrying out cultivation on contractual land and their standing crop has been submerged.

The villagers have alleged that no Canal Department official came to their rescue.

Canal Department official Ramandeep Singh said that a lesser quantity of water was being released in the canal following the widening of the bridge. It was the water hyacinth stuck beneath the bridge that caused the breach. He assured that the breach would be plugged soon.