NUAPADA/KENDRAPARA: With rain deficit getting acute in the region, farmers of Nuapada have taken to the streets seeking drought-hit tag for the western district that has suffered due to poor irrigation. Hundreds of kilometres away, farmers in Kendrapara had a similar plight to describe.
Members of Jai Kishan Mazdoor Sangram Parishad (JKMSP) took out a rally on August 30 demanding early declaration of drought. Starting from Kurumpuri Chowk in Komna block under the leadership of Jadumani Panigrahi, the group went on a 12 km walk to the office of district Collector Swadha Dev Singh and submitted a memorandum.
Highlighting the plight of farmers who are already reeling under the impact of the pandemic for more than a year now, the memorandum also underlined the lack of irrigation facilities, delay in provision of fertilisers and benefits under several schemes due to the apathy of the government.
The farmers also demanded provision and promotion of alternative crops for farmers who have been hit during this kharif season, disbursal of pending crop insurance claims of 2017-19 at the earliest. They demanded that application date for crop insurance be extended till September 30 while large-scale vacancies in the district agriculture department be filled up and registration of farmers under various State as well as national schemes taken up.
Bhakta Dharua, a leader of JKMSP, said farmers will intensify their stir if demands are not met at the earliest. Meanwhile, district BJD also took out a rally led by Nuapada MLA Rajendra Dholakia and submitted a memorandum addressed to the President over delay in supply of fertilisers for the ongoing kharif season. In Kendrapara, a prolonged dry spell is haunting farmers with paddy saplings wilting in large tracts due to water shortage and arable land developing cracks.
The ongoing protests against the three farm laws passed by the Centre entering its ninth month, farmers in the district feel the government should utilise resources in uplifting their condition rather than remaining hell-bent on enacting the anti-farmer law. “Scanty rainfall and lack of proper irrigation facilities has left the fate of many of us hanging in balance as we stare at huge losses this kharif season.
The government should focus on alleviating our situation rather than pull us down further by enacting laws that only spell doom for us,” said Nityananda Rout, a farmer of Jadupur village. On the day, the monsoon session of the Assembly began on a stormy note over the drought scenario after the opposition Congress demanded a special debate on the situation arising out of the prevailing dry spell.