Imphal, June 30 2009: Even as the government has announced to have purchased 300 water pumps and sanctioned Rs 27 thousand each for breeding seedlings to 1000 hectares of cultivable land as steps to tackle the drought-like situation, farmers are still in the dark as to where the pumps are used and the seedlings were breed.

Thoiba Konthoujam, secretary of the Nongchup Imphal Loumee-Sinmee Chaokhat Thourang Lup (a farmers' welfare organisation) urged the government to be more transparent and deliver equal treatment to all farmers while implementing the pumps and breeding of paddy seedlings.

Inspecting the flow of water in the Imphal main canal from Loktak Project today, Thoiba said the farmers are blind on where the government has implemented the water pumps which have been purchased from the Rs 4.41 crore budgets to counter the drought-like situation here.

The government has announced that 300 water pumps were acquired at the cost of Rs 1.16 crore and Rs 27,000 each has been provided as assistance to 1000 hectares of cultivable land to breed seedlings.

He said that there are five engines capable of generating 600 KV of water in between the Loktak Project and Imphal while there are two engines to carry it towards Moirang side.

Attributing the information to an IFCD employee, Thoiba said that only one engine each in both sides has been used as the Loktak Hydro Power Project could be affected if water in the Loktak Lake is generated randomly.

Thoiba further observed that most of the fields in Imphal area can be irrigated if the government minimises the product of electricity just for few 20 days.

So far paddy fields till Toubul have been irrigated by the IFC department, he said.

Thoiba added that the flow of water has been block in the canal due to the presence of bushes in the canal.

A staff engaging in irrigation using the machines has also demonstrated the working of the machine to the members of the farmers' welfare organisation and the accompanying media team.

The staff said that if two of the machines are allowed to generate water for 20 days continuously, the fields till Hiyangthang could be irrigated.

But doing that will affect the Loktak Hydro Power project badly.

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