Jaipur: For the second consecutive day Tuesday, villagers from the Khandip area of Sawai Madhopur district took to the Delhi–Mumbai railway tracks to protest the delayed release of water from Karauli district’s Panchana Dam into their command-area canals. The protest, which entered its 12th day, saw demonstrators preventing the railway crossing gate from closing for nearly one and a half hours, disrupting rail traffic during the time. The demonstration followed a similar disruption Monday, when villagers halted the Avadh Express for nearly 30 minutes at the same spot.According to a senior administrative official, “After the track remained obstructed for about an hour Tuesday, officials held talks with the protesters and persuaded them to move. The villagers then vacated the railway track and returned to the farmers’ mahapanchayat protest site.”As a result of the protests, no trains passed through the section during the demonstrations, with rail traffic resuming around 3:15pm.The protest continued to gain momentum, with a substantial number of villagers, including many women, participating Tuesday. In the morning, farmers arrived in Khandip in a rally, joined by participants from nearby villages such as Mahswa and Raila. Protester Vinod Kumar expressed the agricultural community’s concerns, saying, “The sowing season for kharif crops is approaching, and the absence of canal water could cause significant losses to farmers. Despite orders from the high court, water has not been released into the canals of the command area. If water from the Panchana Dam (in Karauli district) is not released into the canals soon, we will intensify the agitation.”Farmers demanded that the water needs of 39 villages in the Panchana Dam catchment area and 360 villages along the Gambhir River’s natural flow be met before water is diverted elsewhere. They alleged that groundwater levels have fallen because water has not been released into the Gambhir River for a prolonged period, while the irrigation needs of farmers in the catchment area remain unresolved.The protest persisted despite assurances from state minister for home affairs Jawahar Singh Bedham, who promised Monday that the matter of water release would be resolved through discussions with all stakeholders, ensuring adequate water for all agricultural needs.Agriculture and rural development minister Kirori Lal Meena Tuesday wrote a letter to the chief minister seeking immediate compliance with the high court’s orders. The letter read, “Despite clear orders of the Rajasthan High Court, water has not been released into the dam canal system for nearly 20 years. As a result, about 9,985 hectares of land across nearly 35 villages remain deprived of irrigation, affecting around 1.25 lakh people and causing annual losses estimated at Rs 200 crore.”He added, “Farmers in the command area have suffered immense economic hardship, leading to migration and unemployment. In the larger public interest, immediate dialogue with both catchment-area and command-area residents is required so that the court’s orders are implemented and water is released into the canals without further delay.”
