The district unit of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) has demanded that fencing of farm ponds should be made compulsory in order to prevent deaths.
Farm ponds should not be constructed without putting fencing around them, the outfit said in a press release. The government has failed to keep its promise of providing grants to fencing of farm ponds, the KRRS said.
“People are accidentally falling in to the farm ponds and losing lives. Many people including several children have lost lives in Kolar district alone,” the organisation said and urged the government to take necessary steps to prevent such incidents. The organisation regretted that the farm ponds, which are being constructed in the fields to store rainwater, are turning into death-traps.
The Agriculture Department should create awareness among farmers about importance of fencing the farm ponds, district unit convener K. Narayana Gowda said.
Rs. 5 lakh should be given to the family of deceased as relief, he said.