Expressing dissatisfaction over the visit of the Central team’s recent inspection of drought-hit areas, farmers have urged the Government to ensure early disbursal of relief to farmers.
Raising this issue in the grievance redressal meet held here on Friday, farmers said the Central team, during their “flying visit,” had avoided several parts of the district as they inspected the crop loss only in the fields in northern Tirunelveli while farmers in the southwest and western Tirunelveli had also suffered huge loss.
Joint Director of Agriculture Kanagaraj said paddy cultivated on over 2,550 acres during last ‘pisanam’ season and rainfed crops planted on several thousand acres had withered as the northeast monsoon let down the district.
Since the Central team had recently visited some of the drought-hit areas of the district, it would submit its report on crop loss shortly even as another report on behalf of the district administration would be forwarded to the State Government.
“The Central team, after seeing the photographs and videos shown to them, was of the opinion that the entire district is reeling under drought and hence there is no need for fear among agriculturists that the unvisited areas of the district would get neglected. Every farmer, who has suffered crop loss will get compensation,” Mr. Kanagaraj assured.
On behalf of the agriculturists S.T. Shaik Maideen, P. Velumayil, P. Perumpadaiyar and Kasamuthu represented the woes of the farming community in the wake of unprecedented drought prevailing in the district.
“While ensuring the disbursal of adequate compensation to the farmers who have suffered crop loss, the officials should help the farmers who had insured their crops to get full compensation from the insurance firm,” Mr. Shaik Maideen and Mr. Kasamuthu said.
“Since the farmers have suffered successive crop loss in ‘kar’ and ‘pisanam’ seasons, the official machinery should work overtime to bailout the farming community on an early note”.
The farmers also wanted the waiver of crop loans they had availed from the cooperative societies and the nationalised banks.
Mr. Kanagaraj replied that the officials attached to the Departments of Revenue, Agriculture and Statistics had jointly surveyed the affected fields and found that good number of farmers had insured their crop.
“Premium to the tune of ₹ 2.14 crore has been collected and paid to the insurance company. Those who could not go in for transplantation after insuring the crop will get their compensation,” he said.
Project Director, District Rural Development Agency Palani and senior officials from various government departments participated in the meeting.
Farm equipment
District Revenue Officer M.G. Kulandaivel handed over farm equipment worth about ₹ 6.52 lakh including the subsidy of ₹ 2.38 lakh to the beneficiaries.
