BHUBANESWAR | Monday, November 2, 2009 | Email | Print | 
Another farmer commits suicide
PNS | Bhubaneswar
Yet another farmer reportedly committed suicide over crop failure in Subarnapur district on Saturday. The deceased has been identified as Kartik Mahakur. With this the number of farmers who committed suicide has gone up to eight.
It is said that crop failure forced Mahakur to commit suicide at Baghmari-Karnapalli village under Birmaharajpur block on Saturday. Though he had ten acres of land, he failed to harvest the crop. While cultivation in one part of the land was destroyed after sand covered bulk of his field, the crops failed due to lack of irrigation facilities. Lalit Mahakur, the son of the deceased said: "Despite repeated requests for water for agriculture purposes the BDO has taken no steps in this direction. My father lost crop in all his 10 acres of land."
On Sunday, a Congress delegation led by Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president KP Singh Deo visited the Srichandanpur village near Sanakhemundi in Ganjam district, where another farmer, Biranchi Pradhan, had committed suicide on Thursday. "We have found that the farmer had a loan of Rs 40,000 and was also disturbed over crop failure," said Singh Deo, adding that the Government had failed miserably to utilise Central funds.
Moreover, Singh Deo has alleged that crops failed due to lack of irrigation facilities and pest attack in several areas of the State lead to suicides by farmers. Despite this no steps have been taken by the Government to declare the areas as drought-affected. Earlier, a delegation led by State unit of the BJP visited the site and alleged that farmers committed suicide due to the alleged crop failure and loan-burden.
However, State Agriculture Minister Damador Rout rubbished these allegations.
Email | Print | Rate:
|