Agriculture dept takes steps to provide sufficient water to Birbhum farmers

Kolkata: The state Agriculture department has taken a series of steps to ensure that farmers in Birbhum district, where there is unusual rainfall, get sufficient water to avoid any damage to crops.

The state Agriculture minister Asish Banerjee and Pradip Majumdar, the agriculture advisor to the Chief Minister, held a meeting at Suri in Birbhum recently in this connection with senior representatives from Zilla Parishad, MLAs and the officials of the state Irrigation and Power department.

Banerjee said: "We have urged the officials of the Power department to ensure power supply to the farmers to run submersible pumps in order to fetch water for their agricultural lands.

"In case there is any financial problem, they can take an undertaking from the farmers. As per the undertaking, the farmers will make payment for the power connection after they sell out the agricultural produce."

The state Irrigation department ensured supply of safe drinking water as much as possible when there was unusual rainfall in certain parts of Birbhum, East Burdwan and a part Murshidabad districts.

Now, steps are needed to be taken so that more water can be supplied for agriculture in the areas in these three districts. At the same time, the officials of the agriculture department have also been directed to take necessary measures so that water can be pumped in from water bodies like ponds those preserved under the "Jal Dharo Jal Bharo" project. "If necessary pumps will be installed to help farmers," Banerjee said.

The Zilla Parishad authorities and the MLAs have been urged to keep a watch at the situation and extend help to the farmers as and when needed. The MLAs have also been urged to set up pumps so that crisis situations can be tackled in future without facing any trouble.