CONGRESS WALKEDOUT FROM THE HOUSE OVER DECLARATION OF DROUGHT

CONGRESS WALKEDOUT FROM THE HOUSE OVER DECLARATION OF DROUGHT 15/12/2011


ODISHA: Demanding declaration of the dry spell in some districts as drought and a white paper on the situation, the Opposition Congress on Wednesday staged a walkout in the State Assembly even as the state government assured to take appropriate steps after getting crop cutting report from collectors.

The issue relating to the dry spell condition was discussed through an adjournment motion moved by the Congress.

While farmers are committing suicide due to crop loss in drought-affected districts, the state government has been delaying implementation of the relief code meant to help the people in distress, leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh of Congress said before leading the walkout.

Though the state government was aware of the situation in certain districts, it should declare the calamity as drought without waiting for the crop cutting report, Congress chief whip Prasad Harichandan said, alleging that one Laxman Jagat (28) under Sinapalli block of Nuapada district had already died of starvation.

There is no point in declaring drought after death of people in starvation, Harichandan said adding that chief minister Naveen Patnaik had already held two review meetings and the government was armed with reports of the eye estimation survey on crop loss.

BJP legislature party leader KV Singhdeo said that the farmer suicide cases would increase if the government further delayed declaring certain districts as drought hit.

The ruling BJD members also admitted that the drought condition had affected the poor in about 16 of the 30 districts.

Replying to the debate, revenue and disaster management minister Surya Narayan Patra informed the House that the state government had already asked all the collectors to submit crop cutting report by January 15.

As per the relief code, the government can only declare certain area as drought-hit after getting crop cutting reports, the minister said.

Stating that the dry spell prevailed in 16 districts due to inadequate rainfall in July and August, the minister said normal rainfall was experienced in June.

The collectors have already submitted eye estimation survey report on the crop loss. This indicated that there had been crop loss above 50 per cent in 16 districts, Patra said.

Claiming that the government was not sittng idle, the minister said that the chief minister had already directed the district collectors to repair all lift irrigation points, supply subsidised seeds to farmers and allow authorities to create cross bundhs over rivers, nullahs and springs for facilitating irrigation, the minister said.

The minister assured the house that the government would not hesitate to declare districts as drought-hit where crop loss was 50 per cent or above that.

The districts which had been identified as drought affected as per the eye estimation survey report were: Angul, Bargarh, Bhadrak, Balangir, Boudh, Cuttack, Deogarh, Ganjam, Jharsuguda, Kalahandi, Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Nayagarh, Nuapada and Subarnapur.

While the eye estimation survey report of the state government claimed that there was drought in 16 districts, a report prepared by the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) in October claimed that there was mild crop loss in 11 districts while moderate crop loss in only Balangir districts.

The crop condition in 18 other districts remained normal, the NRSC report said.

SIDDHARTHA SHANKAR MISHRA,
BUREAU CHIEF, THESE DAYS,
ODISHA