Kashipur: Incense locals have cut a long stretch of hilly terrain and dug a canal to facilitate irrigation to their farmlands near Nuagaon village of Godibali panchayat under Kashipur block in Rayagada district after the local administration did not meet their repeated demand, a source said today.

“A dyke was constructed around ten years ago under an ambitious irrigation project which has not been completed yet. Despite running from pillar to post, our demand was not met,” the locals alleged.

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According to sources, a meeting was earlier convened in the village to dig the canal against all odds. Hundreds of villagers came out for the purpose with spades, shovels, axes and other instruments.

The residents have dug around a 500 metre-long canal to irrigate nearly 60 acres of farmland, so far. Now, they are able to grow a wide variety of vegetables to help eke out their living, the locals said.

It is pertinent to mention, the irrigation project was started in 2012 at a cost of about Rs 30 lakh.