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Farmers in Chanthal village of Udhampur are facing significant challenges due to a drainage issue caused by a railway line. The drain, maintained by the Jammu and Kashmir Public Development Corporation (JKPDC), carries sewage and garbage from the railway line into their fields, damaging their crops.
The farmers are urging the JKPDC and the Deputy Commissioner (DC) to take immediate action to resolve the issue. While speaking with ANI, a farmer from Chanthal village, Vikas Sharma, says, "The JKPDC has built a canal here. All of its water, the railway's water, comes through this canal. All of the railway's waste is dumped here through it. When it rains, it overflows and ends up in our fields. We even requested their engineers to look at these drains, but no one from their department came... I request that the JKPDC and DC pay attention to this matter. With the amount of plastic that accumulates here, it doesn't seem that plastic has been banned..." The railway line's drain opens into the farmers' land, causing waterlogging and damage to their crops. Although the JK PDC built the canal, they claim it's not their responsibility to fix the issue, while the railway department seems unresponsive. The farmers have requested assistance from the authorities, but their concerns have fallen on deaf ears. Despite requests, the railway department's engineers have not visited the site to address the issue. The farmers are seeking accountability from the authorities responsible for the maintenance of the drain and the canal. Another from Chanthal village, Ganesh Dutt, said, "... The railway line's drain opens into our land. We ask them to extend it further, but they say they can't build beyond the boundary. The water from it damages our crops... We planted 1.5 kanals of paddy, and it was all ruined... This drain was built by the JKPDC. But it's not their water, it's the railway's that flows from here..." The water from the drain has ruined 1.5 kanals of paddy, causing significant financial losses for the farmers. The accumulation of plastic waste in the canal has exacerbated the problem, highlighting concerns about the effectiveness of plastic bans. (ANI)
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