Today, water does not flow out of the unsold systems stored in the godowns. Tears do roll down the eyes as Ms Lata narrates her woeful story. She says, “We invested our savings, our energy, everything. But nothing has come out of it. I recently suffered an attack. Timely help saved me from total collapse”.

Handing over a bunch of papers, including hospital receipts, she asserts, “This is not all. Financial crisis is playing havoc with the entire family. My husband engineer Vijay K. Bansal is suffering from diabetes. Tension is the reason behind it”.

Folding her hands, she adds, “We have requested the Chairman of the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) to implement the scheme for another two years so that the stocks can be cleared at least. All of us are hoping for a positive reply, but cannot say anything for certain till we receive it”.

Controlling her emotions, she says the use of sprinkler system by the farming community can cut down water wastage by 35 per cent to 50 per cent in the state. The yield can also register an increase by anywhere between 5 per cent and 8 per cent.

Elaborating upon her statement, she says wastage is minimised as the system discourages excessive water seepage and cuts down evaporation losses. “The yield increases as the system results in equitable distribution of water throughout the field and washes the crop every time it is used, thereby making it healthy. Currently about 500 farmers in the state are using the system”.

Giving details of the scheme, she says that the scheme was introduced by the Beant Singh government and was continued by the Akali-BJP combine. It was scrapped by the present government in April, 2002.