Excelsior Correspondent
KATHUA, Mar 11: Senior Congress leader and former MLC, Subash Gupta, has expressed grave concern over the looming agricultural crisis in District Kathua.
In a press statement here today, Gupta issued an urgent appeal to the Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, and Deputy Commissioner Kathua, Rajesh Sharma, to immediately release water into the Ravi canal and its subsidiaries.
Over 40,000 hectares of wheat crops are currently under threat due to a severe water shortage. Nearly 70,000 farmers across the district, particularly in the Kandi belt, are staring at a total crop failure. With no significant rainfall since January 23, the soil is parched, he added.
Gupta highlighted that while the annual cleaning of canals is a routine administrative process, it cannot come at the cost of the farmers’ survival.
“Our farmers have reached a breaking point,” said Gupta. “The wheat crop, sown with three months of hard labor, is on the verge of drying up. I strongly urge LG Manoj Sinha and DC Rajesh Sharma to intervene personally. The cleaning work must be expedited, and water must be released into the Ravi canal immediately to save the ripening crops from complete destruction.”
He called for a “war-footing” approach to finish the maintenance and restore the water supply to the tail-end fields of the Kandi and border regions.
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