Kalyansinghpur: It has been 10 years since the construction of the Kalyani Check Dam at the border of Kalahandi and Rayagada districts, yet the canal has not been built, leaving farmers unable to benefit from irrigation. Despite multiple meetings regarding canal construction, no concrete results have been achieved, leading to growing dissatisfaction among farmers.
The Rayagada Minor Irrigation Department constructed the check dam near Kalkupa in Bijepur Panchayat of Kalahandi district at a cost of ₹2 crore. Before the 2024 general elections, the then-government inaugurated it in a virtual mode. However, the concerned department has been delaying canal construction. A year after the check dam’s inauguration, the department recently held a meeting with farmers at Singari Hatpada, discussing the possibility of providing irrigation water through underground pipes.
Similarly, another check dam built in 2014 was destroyed in the devastating 2017 floods. Although it was repaired at a cost of ₹1 crore, the absence of a canal meant that water could not reach the farmlands. While some lands in Kalahandi district receive irrigation, around 2,000 acres of farmland in Singari and Dhamunipanga panchayats of Kalyansinghpur block in Rayagada district remain deprived due to the lack of a canal.
Farmers are now urging the district administration and higher departmental authorities to take immediate action for canal construction to ensure irrigation benefits.