By IANS
Jaipur : Farmers in Sriganganagar district of Rajasthan have decided to hold a massive rally in Gharsana on Nov 15 to demand release of more water from the Indira Gandhi Canal for irrigation purposes.
Farmers in Sriganganagar and Hanumangarh districts have been agitating for almost three years for release of water from the Indira Gandhi Canal for irrigation in their districts. The protests had become violent in 2004 and again in 2006 when six people were killed in police firing.
The farmers had last month threatened to launch a fresh agitation if the state government did not solve the water problem by Nov 4.
Alleging that the government has failed to help them, the farmers began an indefinite sit in protest on Nov 5 in Gharsana, about 550 km from Jaipur.
The farmers will also hold sit in protests in Rawatsar on Nov 9 and Pilibanga on Nov 16. They will be joined by workers of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and the Akhil Bhartiya Kisan Sabha, which are supporting the protest.
“Besides Sriganganagar and Hanumangarh we will also hold protests in Bikaner district. Our agitation will be peaceful but if the government tries to scuttle our agitation, it should be ready to face the consequences,” Hetram Beniwal, leader of Kisan Majdoor and Vyapari Sangarsh Samiti, said Thursday.
The Kisan Majdoor Aur Vyapari Sangharsh Samiti has been spearheading the agitation since 2004.