Farmers demand resumption of construction work on LIS Kawni

Pulwama, June 11: Farmers from several villages in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district are urging authorities to resume the long-stalled construction work on the Lift Irrigation Scheme (LIS) Kawni.
According to them, the project has been on hold for the past six years, causing significant distress to the local farming community.
Ishfaq Ahmad, a resident of Kawni village in Awantipora Tehsil, told Rising Kashmir that the LIS Kawni project was approved in 2012 with an estimated cost of approximately ₹1.6 crore. He said construction work began shortly thereafter, continuing steadily from 2013 to 2019.
“The Civil Division of the Irrigation Department, Shopian, completed nearly 80 percent of the pump house construction before the work came to a halt in 2018-19,” Ishfaq said, “Meanwhile, the Mechanical Division, Anantnag, procured machinery and equipment soon after the project was sanctioned.”
He lamented that the equipment is now lying unused and rusting due to delays in completing the infrastructure necessary for installation.
Residents said they have repeatedly approached the mechanical division, requesting the installation of machinery. However, officials have reportedly cited the incomplete pump house as a barrier to any progress.
“Authorities from the Civil Division expressed their inability to resume work due to a lack of funds,” Ishfaq said, adding that they have pleaded with them multiple times to complete the remaining 20 percent of the construction.
Farmers from Kawni, Badripora, and Bra Banduna—paddy-growing villages dependent on consistent irrigation—said the delay has left them struggling, especially during the peak season of paddy transplantation.
Executive Engineer, Irrigation Division Shopian, Er Abdul Rashid, said that the LIS Kawni project was approved under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP).
“Over the past three years AIBP schemes throughout Jammu and Kashmir received no funds,” he said, adding that without fresh allocations, resuming construction is not possible.
Officials from the Mechanical Division said that machinery was procured and expenditures were recorded from 2014 to 2018 as funds were released annually during that period.
However, due to the lack of supporting civil infrastructure, the machinery could not be installed, they said.
“As of now, around ₹55 lakh has already been spent on mechanical infrastructure,” the officials said, adding that no progress has been seen in civil construction since 2021.
Farmers have now appealed to higher authorities and the local MLA to intervene and ensure the project is completed without further delay.