Hyderabad/Kamareddy: Former Minister and ex-Leader of Opposition in Telangana Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir on Tuesday demanded that the State Government give compensation to the farmers who lost their paddy and cotton crops due to excess rains, spurious seeds and other reasons.
Shabbir Ali, along with Medak and Kamareddy DCC Presidents and other leaders, visited various farms in Narsingi mandal where farmers set ablaze the fields of damaged paddy cotton and crops.
Speaking to media persons later, Shabbir pointed out that Ganesh, a tenant farmer, suffered heavy losses due to the damage caused to his superfine varieties of paddy. Similarly, other farmers, Ailah Yadav and Balamma, lost their cotton and paddy crops due to the excess rainfall and other plant diseases.
He said each farmer has suffered losses to the tune of several thousands of rupees per acre. The tenant farmers are the worst sufferers. However, he said that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao did not even conduct a review meeting to discuss the damage caused to the crops and did not initiate any action to even enumerate the losses.
The farmers had set ablaze the fields of damaged crops in the presence of Shabbir Ali and other Congress leaders. Later, they also spoke to media persons and explained the losses suffered by them.
The Congress leader said that the farmers followed the Chief Minister’s advice in sowing cotton and paddy under the Regulated Cropping system this season. However, a majority of farmers lost their crops due to excess rainfall, spurious seeds, plant diseases and other causes.
Instead of helping the farmers, the Chief Minister has completely ignored them. He said that the District Collector, MRO or other officials did not even visit the fields to enumerate the losses despite the fact that farmers across Telangana State were setting ablaze the fields of damaged crops. He alleged that the Chief Minister, due to his arrogance and negligence, has pushed the farmers to heavy losses who are now getting suicidal tendencies due to lack of help from the government. He asked the farmers not to lose hope and assured that the Congress party would fight for their rights.
He said that he himself was a farmer and suffered heavy losses due to the crop damage. However, he said that the tenant farmers, who cultivate his land, had suffered more losses due to lack of any help from the government.
He said that the KCR Government first forced the farmers to change the cropping pattern which increased their investment and also the risk. He said farmers borrowed huge loans from banks and other private money lenders with the hope that they would be backed by the State Government for following the Regulated Cropping system.
However, he said that after farmers lost their crops, they got the biggest shock as the authorities did not even visit their farms to enumerate the losses. He said since farmers would need to invest more money to remove the damaged crops, they were setting their own fields on fire.
The leader pointed out that the Chief Minister was quick to announce Rs. 10,000 assistance to the flood affected families in Hyderabad in view of GHMC elections. But the TRS Govt never provided any assistance to the farmers who lost their crops due to natural calamities or other causes in the last six years.
Stating that flood affected families of Hyderabad should be given at least Rs. 25,000 each, he demanded that the Chief Minister announce an immediate relief package for all the farmers who lost their crops in the current season. He said that the farmers should be provided help before the Dubbak by-elections on 3rd November. He warned that the Congress party would launch a massive agitation to get justice for the farmers.
