BARGARH/BURLA: A farmer of Paikmal block in Bargarh district, who had consumed pesticide on December 5 over crop loss due to scanty rainfall and pest attack, succumbed at VIMSAR in Burla on Wednesday night. He was identified as Daitari Rana of Barpali village under Kansada gram panchayat.
As Rana’s body reached Paikmal on Thursday afternoon after autopsy, irate locals took to streets demanding adequate compensation to the family of the deceased and other benefits. The agitators also blocked Biju Expressway connecting Paikmal-Nuapada at Paikmal Chowk with Rana’s body for over three hours.
However, the road blockade was lifted after Additional Tehsildar of Paikmal Purnananda Patel handed over Rs 10,000 from National Family Benefit Scheme and another Rs 2,000 under Harischandra Yojana to Rana’s family besides giving assurance to submit factual report to the district administration.
As per reports, Rana owned 30 acres of land in drought-prone Paikmal block and had cultivated paddy over 15 acres. However, after being affected by deficit rainfall which was followed by pest attack, he lost all hopes of recovering the money he had pumped into cultivation. Rana was under severe mental duress as he had borrowed Rs 80,000 from bank, Rs 42,000 from co-operative society besides hand loan of more than Rs 1 lakh.
Even though he had harvested his crop, he could only manage to get 65 bags of paddy against the expected yield of about 300 bags. Unable to repay the loan of about Rs 2.5 lakh, Rana consumed pesticide in a bid to end his life.
Family members rushed him to Padampur hospital in a critical condition from where he was shifted to Nuapada district headquarters hospital. He was later referred to VIMSAR after his condition failed to improve.