The former Minister and vice-president of Bharatiya Janata Party Raitha Morcha M.P. Renukacharya has demanded that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah direct Deputy Commissioners and district in-charge Ministers to personally monitor the assessment of crop loss in their jurisdiction.
A team of BJP Raitha Morcha leaders, headed by Mr. Renukacharya, visited drought-affected villages in the district on Friday and interacted with farmers.
Unscientific assessment
Speaking to presspersons in the city later, Mr. Renukacharya said farmers were unhappy that the assessment of crop loss was being done by the officials in an unscientific manner, and without visiting the land. He said that the process of assessment of crop loss should be properly monitored to ensure payment of fair compensation to the farmers.
Mr. Renukacharya expressed displeasure against the existing parameters for declaring a taluk as drought-affected. He said Bhadravati taluk was not declared as drought-affected but the large tract of arecanut plantations near Hunasekatte village there have dried up owing to moisture stress caused by drought. The guidelines for declaration on drought should be relaxed, he said.
Dry plantations
He urged the State government to lift the ban on digging borewells on agricultural land. The arecanut plantations are drying up in Sorab, Shikaripur, Bhadravati and Sagar taluks owing to moisture stress caused by scanty rain. Even the paddy crop cultivated in Malnad region, under upland farming and drill sowing methods, and the crop in command areas of tanks are also drying up.
The scanty rain has affected the formation of flag leaf in paddy crop that plays an important role in grain filling. There will be decline in the yield owing to lack of proper development of flag leaf. The digging of borewells is inevitable for farmers to save the standing crops and to take up cultivation of summer crops, he said.
Loan waiver demand
Mr. Renukacharya urged the State government to waive the crop loans borrowed by farmers in drought-affected areas and to take measures to ensure the availability of fodder for cattle. The BJP Raitha Morcha will submit a report to the Union government on the drought situation prevailing in the State soon, he said.
President of BJP district unit Rudre Gowda, party functionaries H.C. Basavarappa, B.K. Srinath, Geetha Ravindra, Dheeraraj, Malathesh and Rathnakar Shenoy were present.
