Farmers on dharna in Sriganganagar for water, delegation to meet minister

Around 250 farmers have started a dharna in Sriganganagar district of Rajasthan demanding release of irrigation water from the Indira Gandhi canal, an official said on Sunday.

Hundreds of farmers gathered outside the SDM office in Ghadsana and laid a seige to the premises on Saturday evening. They blocked the entry to the office following which additional police force was deployed in the area.

Some officials and police personnel posted there were briefly locked up inside the office by the farmers, police sources said.

Sriganganagar Collector Zakir Hussain said, "The situation is peaceful and around 250 farmers are sitting on dharna in Ghadsana at present demanding irrigation water from the canal."

He said a delegation of the farmers is scheduled to meet Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED) Minister B D Kalla in Jaipur. "Efforts are being made to resolve the matter through dialogue," the collector said.

Superintendent of Police Rajan Dushyant said police personnel have been deployed inside and outside the SDM office.

He said one battalion of the Rajasthan Armed Constabulary (RAC) has also been deployed to maintain law and order in the area.