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economics of on-farm development - Institute for Social and ...

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feel the pinch <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> it. But the <strong>on</strong>ly <strong>and</strong> most important c<strong>on</strong>straint as reported by the<br />

<strong>farm</strong>ers is n<strong>on</strong>-integrati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> MCS with the main water distributi<strong>on</strong> network.<br />

The Irrigati<strong>on</strong> Department laid the MCS much earlier <strong>and</strong> the canal network<br />

necessary to feed water to it was enormously delayed. With the result, most <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

the equipment had g<strong>on</strong>e out <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> use, making the investment, infructuous. This has<br />

led to crop shift, mainly to rubber, which, according to the <strong>farm</strong>ers does not<br />

warrant any <strong>development</strong> interventi<strong>on</strong> in the l<strong>and</strong>. There<strong>for</strong>e, the instituti<strong>on</strong>al<br />

failure in terms <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> lack <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> integrated approach in laying MCS <strong>and</strong> the canal<br />

distributi<strong>on</strong> network has been mainly resp<strong>on</strong>sible <strong>for</strong> the less efficient system<br />

per<strong>for</strong>mance. There<strong>for</strong>e, in spite <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the MCS being in place ever since the mid<br />

1980s, <strong>on</strong>ly 36 per cent <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the potential under it was utilised. Moreover, less than<br />

<strong>on</strong>e third <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> th~<br />

system completed has been h<strong>and</strong>ed over to Water Users'<br />

Associati<strong>on</strong>s (WUAs) so far. The remaining system is damaged <strong>and</strong> the materials<br />

are stolen, as it remained no man's propert/.<br />

criteria fixed <strong>for</strong> cost recovery was based <strong>on</strong> the proporti<strong>on</strong>ate area held by the<br />

<strong>farm</strong>ers, viz., (a) Farmers holding in excess <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> 4 ha. are expected to pay 50 per cent <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

the cost; (b) <strong>farm</strong>ers holding l<strong>and</strong> between 2 to 4 ha., c<strong>on</strong>tributing 40 per cent <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the<br />

cost; (c) between I - 2 ha. 37.5 per cent <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the cost; <strong>and</strong> (d) less than I ha.- 35.5 per<br />

cent <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the cost.<br />

4 Majority <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the <strong>farm</strong>ers feel that the extincti<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the MCS networks has been an<br />

organised attempt bydhe c<strong>on</strong>tractors themselves. This is because, the wheel valves<br />

attached to hydrants initially was made <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> gun metal, which could be stolen from <strong>on</strong>e<br />

regi<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong> installed elsewhere <strong>and</strong> claim <strong>for</strong> funds <strong>for</strong> that also, resulting in additi<strong>on</strong>al<br />

gains out <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the same work. Besides, theft <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the wheel valves has become a widely<br />

reported phenomen<strong>on</strong> as the gun metal could fetch some m<strong>on</strong>ey, if sold as scrap ir<strong>on</strong>.<br />

This problem arose because <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> their installati<strong>on</strong> in the inaccessible porti<strong>on</strong>s <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the<br />

holdings <strong>and</strong> <strong>farm</strong>ers were not entrusted with the resp<strong>on</strong>sibility <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> protecting them. On<br />

real isati<strong>on</strong> that a significant porti<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the MCS networks have disappeared, the<br />

project authorities started replacing the broken! stolen wheel valves by wheel valves<br />

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