A large number of farmers along with their family members staged a rasta roko near Belgundi Cross to protest against the indifference of the State government to their problems such as crop loss and power shortage, on Monday.
The former MLA and Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti leader Manohar Kinekar, who led the agitation, said the government had announced a compensation of only Rs.2,500 an acre for crop loss due to drought, which was too meagre considering the cost of cultivation which was much higher. The government should pay at least Rs.25,000 an acre, he said.
Also, even as the farmers were reeling under drought, the failure of the Hubballi Electricity Supply Company to supply at least six hours of 3-phase supply for irrigation pumpsets had only added to the farmers’ woes.
Hescom officials had promised that they would supply six hours of 3-phase power but that had not started yet. Though the recent rainfall had brought some relief with inflow of water in open wells and recharge of borewells to some extent, there was no power supply to draw water for irrigation to save standing crops. Taluk officials from Belagavi rushed to the scene.
