By TC News Desk
Agartala, 2nd April 2025: The sluice gate built in 1980 at a cost of lakhs of rupee in the Barua Para area of Khowai Dhala Bil Panchayat has now turned into a nightmare for farmers.
Instead of aiding agricultural activities, the faulty sluice gate has been causing severe difficulties for nearly 500 farming families in the region.
The sluice gate was originally constructed to regulate water flow and support farming in the area. However, over the years, it has become ineffective. When water needs to be retained for irrigation, the faulty gate allows it to escape. Conversely, during periods when water is not required, it floods agricultural fields, causing destruction. As a result, farmers have been struggling to maintain their crop production for years.
A local farmer lamented that the issue has been repeatedly brought to the attention of the local panchayat, but no corrective action has been taken. When a visit was made to the Dhalabil Gram Panchayat office at around 2 PM to inquire about the matter, no response was received. This is due to the fact that after the recent Gram Panchayat elections, neither the village head nor the deputy head has taken their oaths yet. Additionally, the Panchayat Secretary was unavailable at the time, leaving farmers with no authority to address their concerns.
Historically, this sluice gate facilitated the irrigation of approximately two thousand kani of paddy land. However, its current dilapidated state has drastically reduced the amount of cultivable land. Farmers complain that, despite repeated appeals to the panchayat for repairs, no concrete steps have been taken. As a result, vast stretches of paddy land remain dry and uncultivable, leading to significant financial losses for the farming community.
The affected farmers are now urging the local panchayat to take immediate action to repair and maintain the sluice gate, ensuring that agricultural activities can resume without hindrance. The villagers still hold hope that the authorities will recognize their plight and take prompt steps to rectify the issue.
