Drought-hit farmers block NH in K’handi

The Pioneer, Nov 30, 2011
Demanding that their areas be declared 100 per cent drought-hit, farmers of six gram panchayats on Tuesday blocked the NH-201 at Kutrukhamar in Sadar block of Bhawanipatna, due to which commuters were stranded for hours.


The small and marginal farmers of Kuliamaal, Kalam, Gandjhola, Kutrukhamar, Malgaon and Risigaon sat on dharna on the road asserting that above 50 per cent of crops have been lost in the Kharif season. They threatened to an indefinite sit-in strike if the State Government does not declare cent per cent drought within 15 days.

Commuters from Bhawanipatna to Junagarh including students of the Sardar Rajas Medical College, schoolteachers and Government staff could not reach their destinations due to the road blockade.

After submitting a memorandum to the local BDO which was addressed to the State’s Governor, the farmers withdrew the strike. The memorandum demanded waiver of farm loans, provision of loans without interest for the next Kharif crop, immediate implementation of the Indravati Right Canal project, exemption of fees of school and college students, supply pf rice at Rs 2/kg to the APL families and provision of 10 tube-wells in each GP.