SAMBALPUR:At least 61 BJP workers, including former minister Jayanarayan Mishra, were taken into preventive custody after they tried to barge into the office of Deputy Director of Agriculture (DDA) here on Friday.
Demanding adequate compensation for farmers whose crops have been damaged due to attack of brown plant hopper pests, the workers, under the aegis of BJP Krushak Morcha, had staged a dharna in front of the office of DDA. However, a scuffle broke out between the BJP activists and police personnel after the former were prevented from entering into the DDA office. Subsequently, police took the BJP workers into preventive custody to control the situation.
The demands of BJP include inspection of paddy fields by experts and suggestion of measures to control pests, provision of pesticide to farmers at subsidised rate and compensation within 15 days, stringent action against dealers selling fake pesticides, loan waiver, bonus of `500 per quintal of paddy, enactment of Tenancy Act besides compensation to families of farmers who committed suicide due to crop loss.
Mishra said even though attack of brown plant hopper pests began a month back, the State Government woke up after the death of farmer Brunda Sahu of Kalapani village in Bargarh district. Sahu committed suicide after setting his standing paddy crop, which was damaged due to pest attack, on fire.
Following the farmer suicide in Kalapani, the State Government directed district Collectors of the region to submit report about the crop damage due to pest attack within two days. However, it is impossible to assess the crop loss in a proper way within two days, the BJP leader observed.Moreover, the farmers are feeling helpless as they are getting fake pesticides which have failed miserably to prevent crop loss due to pest attack, Mishra said.