Kapuri (Ghanaur), May 22
The fight for water rights of Punjab brought this village in national limelight in April 1982 when the Akalis gathered here to launch the Kapuri morcha in protest against giving state’s waters to Haryana.
Twenty-five years down the line, farmers of Kapuri and its neighbouring areas still are fighting for water; this time it is for a lift irrigation scheme, which they claim, is only salvation from near penury.
The lack of water which has resulted in poor yields over the years and even poorer annual leases, have turned even politics topsy turvy in this village in the panchayat elections. The village is mainly Akali oriented with the sarpanch during the morcha still recalling Indira Gandhi and how her visit to inaugurate the Satluj Yamuna Link (SYL) canal had changed the politics of Punjab. The villages however believe in realpolitik.
Former sarpanch Amar Singh severed decade-long relations with the Akalis to switch over to the Congress during Amarinder Singh’s rule in the state.’ He went over to the Congress side and so did we all’ says Sahib Singh, president of the Cooperative Society, Kapuri. The sarpanch switched over to the Congress as the party had promised to fulfil a long -pending demand. Construction of a lift irrigation scheme, was conceived in 1964 when the Narwana branch first, came up.
This scheme was passed by the Congress government with Rajinder Kaur Bhattal even laying a foundation stone after Rs 80 lakh or so was deposited by the government for making the project a reality. However a stay order by court has ensured the scheme remains grounded.
Today even though the former sarpanch remains in the Congress, the village voted for the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in the Block Samiti and Zila Parishad elections and is expected to do the same in the panchayat polls on May 26. ’This is the only way we can ensure the irrigation scheme comes into being’, says
Sukhdev Singh.
The scheme, if implemented, will provide underground piped water supply for irrigation to Kapuri and neighbouring villages of Kamalpur Soanta, Marian Harpalan and Loh Simbli. At present water level in the area is around 300 feet to 400 feet. Shallow tube wells have been rendered useless. Due to this yield in the area is down to 10 quintals to 11 quintals per acre. ‘As most villagers own six to seven acres it is difficult for them to spend Rs 3 lakh to 4 lakh on a deep tube well’ says Jaswinder Singh who is fighting for the post of a panch from the village.
The lack of quality water in the area means the villagers are dependent on the public drinking water supply for household needs. Power cuts result in villagers going without water for days . Even when it comes, the distribution is irregular with many villagers having installed pumps on the mainline. ‘We have water aplenty when we don’t need it but none otherwise for our fields or our homes’ says Sukhdev adding the village would rather have water than pride itself for a morcha that had given little to it.
