DHARMANAGAR: Nearly 300 families in Ward No. 6 of Rajnagar Gram Panchayat under Dharmanagar subdivision have been left in crisis after the area’s LI Scheme pump house remained defunct for a full year, bringing farming to a near standstill.
Residents said repeated complaints to the local panchayat and Water Resources Department over the past year yielded no permanent fix, leaving farmers unable to cultivate paddy and vegetables and pushing many into financial distress.
Following complaints, Yuvrajnagar MLA Shailendra Chandra Nath personally inspected the pump house and found a major breach beneath the reservoir’s sluice gate causing water to escape, along with multiple pipeline leaks and a broken discharge pipe — leaving the irrigation system effectively non-functional.
The MLA said a permanent fix requires rebuilding the damaged sluice gate and replacing the leaking pipeline and supply pipe. He assured residents he would flag the issue to the Water Resources Department for urgent action.
While the assurance brought some relief, residents are demanding swift repair work so farmers can resume irrigation-dependent cultivation in the upcoming season.