Taking a serious view of the non-response of the Sambalpur district administration over farmers’ issue, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued summons to the Sambalpur District Magistrate-cum-Collector for personal appearance before it on May 26.

The commission had received a complaint from city-based Global Human Rights Communication executive director Dr Subash Mohapatra last year. According to the complaint, as many as 229 farmers of Gundurchuan gram panchayat in Sambalpur district have been denied insurance money after their crop loss.

He alleged that the Sambalpur district administration as well as officials of the Punjab National Bank has stopped the payment of insurance money to the farmers intentionally. Though the PNB, Sambalpur Circle Head denied the allegation by complying with the direction of the commission on September 18 last year, the Sambalpur district officials did not comply with the commission order.

The bank authorities informed the commission that so far it has not received any insurance claim amount from the insurance company. “The commission is pained to note that the Sambalpur district administration is so insensitive in such a serious issue that they have not cared to reply to the notice of the commission. Hence, the commission directs its Registry to issue summons u/s 13 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 to the District Magistrate, Sambalpur, for his personal appearance before the commission on 26.05.2015 at its office in New Delhi,” the latest order of the commission read. Meanwhile, the complainant urged the commission to order for a CBI probe of over Rs1 crore scam.