One Farmer A Day, Telangana Dubious Record of Suicides

HYDERABAD:At least one farmer is committing suicide every day in Bangaru Telangana. This has been officially admitted on Wednesday by agriculture minister P Srinivas Reddy.

Between June 2, 2014 and June 25, 2015, 409 farmers ended their lives in the state. On Wednesday itself, four farmers committed suicide, one of them in Chief Minister’s pocket borough Gajwel.

These suicides were reported from Khammam (2) and one each in Karimnagar and Medak.

This number is well below the 900 suicides number being touted by Opposition parties. A majority of the farmers who have ended their lives blame either crop failure, power crisis or absence of an agricultural policy. Of the 409 suicides, the government has extended compensation to only 141 people as per GO 421. “Ex gratia will be extended to other farmers’ families also,’’ he said.

Farmer Nalla Kistaiah, who ended his life by hanging himself to a tree in Gajwel, had two-acre land and cultivated cotton in one acre, which failed due to the dry spell. This is the second consecutive year that his crop failed and he was burdened with loans. Kistaiah had borrowed Rs 3 lakh and invested on cultivation and also for his daughter’s marriage. “He was distressed since one week as there was no way to he could repay the debt,’’ family members of Kistaiah said.

Kishtaiah is survived by wife and four children. Ambati Narayana (44) of Chinnabonala village in Sircilla mandal ended his life by consuming pesticide in his fields. According to reports, Narayana cultivated cotton in his two-acre land and also took another five acres on lease for cultivation by borrowing Rs 2 lakh from private money lenders.

The crop withered due to the dry spell and the four borewells dug up by him could not come to his rescue. Narayana is survived by wife and a daughter.

At Porandla village in Thimmapur mandal, Musku Nagi Reddy (47) committed suicide due to mounting debts. He consumed pesticide at his residence. He borrowed Rs 3 lakh and invested on cultivating paddy, maize and vegetables in his three-and-half acre land.

Due to lack of irrigation facility, the crops withered. On the other hand, he had financial difficulties as he performed his daughter’s marriage last year. In Khammam, a tribal farmer consumed pesticide in Krishnapuram village of Madhira mandal. Police said Tejavath Mangya (36) cultivated chilly in one acre and cotton in two-cre land. Due to deficit rainfall, the crops have not registered good growth.

He suffered a loss of nearly Rs 2 lakhs last year also. On Wednesday, he went to his fields and got depressed over the withering crops and after returning from fields, he consumed pesticide at his home Mangya’s wife Jyothi shifted him to Madhira government hospital but he died on the way to hospital.