JAJPUR: Hundreds of farmers under the aegis of Naba Nirman Krushak Sangathan (NKSS) staged a protest on NH-16 at Chandikhole over various demands including immediate release of compensation for those affected in the recent floods.
National coordinator of NKSS Akshya Kumar said hundreds of acres of agriculture land were submerged at Bari, Dharmasala, Rasulpur, Jajpur, Binjharpur, Dasarathapur, Korei and Barachana blocks in the district in floods caused by Brahmani, Baitarani, Kharasrota, Kani, Budha and Kelua rivers.
Besides, standing crops were washed away in the deluge while hundreds of acres of farmland have been sand casted due to the breaches on river embankments. “The State Government should provide compensation of `15,000 per acre of cropland affected in the floods to farmers and `7,500 per acre for sharecroppers. The Government should release the compensation immediately,” said Kumar.
Besides, the agitators demanded that the Government should take steps for permanent flood control system and drain out water from inundated farmlands. Besides, the farmers sought proper irrigation facilities for the non-irrigated land in the district.