Rain damages stored paddy, CM asks for report

Times of India, June 17, 2013
BHUBANESWAR/ BHAWANIPATNA/KORAPUT: Hundreds of bags of paddy lying in the open as well as thousands of hectare of standing crop were damaged by heavy rain inKalahandi, Rayagada, Koraput andNabarangpur districts, forcing chief ministerNaveenPatnaik on Sunday to ask the collectors concerned to give a report within a week.

Naveen, during a video conference with collectors of the affected four districts to take stock of the situation, instructed officers to ensure farmers did not face problems in storing paddy at market yards. He also asked the officers to complete repair of roads within three days and submit report on disbursement of house building assistance within seven days. At least 650 houses in 22 blocks of Koraput, Kalahandi and Nabarangpur have been damaged, official sources said.

The CM further asked panchayati raj minister Kalpataru Das, food supplies minister Pratab Deb and revenue secretary Taradatt to visit the affected the districts to review the situation.

In Kalahandi, flash flood, caused by incessant rain, in Hati river damaged paddy crop over 21,000 acre of farmland and around 770 quintals of harvested crop, said collector (Kalahandi) Govinda Chandra Sethi quoting preliminary reports. "Without getting permission the farmers had stored their produce at most of the open mandis, leading to germination following incessant rain," he said, adding, "The farmers would get their price after final assessment of the damage."

Official sources said in Kalahandi's Junagarh block around 2,500 acre of standing crop was hit by rain, followed by Dharmagarh (4,011 acre). "The officials are estimating that average 15 quintals per acre could be compensated to the flood-hit farmers. The administration is estimating the loss after visiting the standing crop on farm land, ripe crop kept in thresholds and open mandis," said tehsildar (Junagarh) Jayanta Kumar Prusty.

Villages like Biripur, Balichhada and Matikhal under Kalampur block in Kalahandi remain cut off due to heavy downpour though the situation is said to be under control. In Koraput, farmers blocked NH-26 near Kumuliput under Jeypore block in Koraput district for hours demanding adequate compensation for their crop loss.

Former Koraput MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati held the state government responsible for massive loss of both harvested and standing crops in Koraput and threatened mass agitation demanding complete waiver of agricultural loan to farmers.