KARIMNAGAR/ADILABAD: TS Planning Board vice-chairman B Vinod Kumar, Karimnagar MLA S Ravishankar, and district collector RV Karnan on Tuesday took stock of the crops damaged due to the recent hailstorm. They inspected damaged paddy, maize, mango, watermelon, and other crops in Ramadugu and Choppadandi mandals of the district.
Vinod Kumar said crops in nearly 21,000 acres were damaged across the State. He said the authorities would expedite the process to help nearly 18,000 affected farmers. The issue will be brought to the notice of Chief Minister K Chandrasekar Rao during his visit to Karimnagar district on Wednesday, officials said.
Vinod Kumar interacted with farmers and assured them that government would take measures to address their grievances. He said that there was no chance to prevent such natural calamities. “However, the government has taken measures to improve the irrigation systems. Kaleshwaram project water has increased crop cultivation. The groundwater levels have also increased,” he said.
Adilabad farmers distraught
Meanwhile, the farmers in the erstwhile Adilabad district claimed that this was not the first time that they have suffered crop loss. “Over the past few years, either heavy rains, scanty rainfall, or unseasonal rains have been affecting our crops,” said a farmer from Adilabad. Although agriculture officials conducted surveys and submitted reports to the government earlier as well, there had been no response from the authorities, he added.
Last year, cotton, soybean, and other crops were damaged due to heavy rains and floods. The farmer recalled that Endowments Minister A Indrakaran Reddy had visited the affected areas and assured help. “However, despite the survey and reports, no input subsidy was released to the affected farmers,” the farmer said.“The minister’s assurances proved to be empty promises,” he added.
HC relief for 30 farmers
Last year, crops over 1.04 lakh acres were damaged, and 37,782 farmers suffered losses. Nearly, 30 farmers approached the high court, which directed the government to order a survey and submitted a report on their losses. As a result, the government released an input subsidy to the petitioners, while no relief came to the rest of the farmers.
Survey underway
According to the Adilabad district president of the Rythu Swaraja Vedika, Sunegrapu Borrana, the recent rains damaged crops in more than 6,000 acres. He alleged that the government had failed to implement the crop insurance scheme since 2020, depriving farmers of the insurance benefits. Officials of the Agriculture Department said that they were currently assessing the crop losses in the district as ordered by the government.