Vadodara: Farmers in the Dabhoi taluka of the district opened the gates of the Wadhwana pond themselves to irrigate their farms on Friday. They took the step as their demand for water was not being met despite repeated representations.
According to sources, the farmers had paddy crop in their fields that needed to be irrigated for the last time before the crop was harvested. The farmers had approached officials of the irrigation department repeatedly, but to no avail.
Dabhoi BJP MLA Shailesh Mehta alias Sotta was also approached by the farmers in this regard. Mehta said that the concerns for the farmers were genuine as they would have made heavy losses if the crop had wilted. “The crop is almost ready and one round of irrigation is sufficient,” he said.
Mehta said that the water was being stored in the Wadhwana pond to facilitate fishing there. “Eventually, the farmers decided to open the gate themselves to release water as they were left with no option. The officials too did not object to the move,” he said. A contract for fishing has been given for the pond.