The Agriculture Meet & Exhibition organised by the Agricultural Technological Management Agency' (ATMA), Angul became a big flop as most of the invited guests including two MPs and other people's representatives of the district did not attend it.
MPs Nagendra Pradhan and Tathagata Satpathy along wth MlAs Sanjeev Sahu and BK Pradhan and Zilla Parisad President Girija Nandini Sahu did not turn up at the event. Besides, agriculture officials failed to mobilise an adequate number of farmers to attend the meeting.
A few persons involved with tent house decoration, employees and persons involved with exhibition stalls occupied some chairs in name of farmers.
“The much expensive and non-farmer meet of ATMA will not benefit the drought-hit farmers of the district,” said farmers leaders Basanta Pradhan and CR Sahu.
In view of the increasing dissatisfaction among the farming community, the State Government is organising such events in each district. But the way Angul agricultural officials organised the meeting spending money for VIP foods at the Circuit House, tent house and decorations instead of calling a large number of real farmers and communicating them various programs, the objective of the Government was lost.
Attending the meet as chief guest, District Yojana Committee Chairman Mahes Sahu said vast areas of agriculture land are affected due to industrialisation and mining activities in the district.
Angul MlA RK Singh alleged that farmers are not getting subsidy in due time. He insisted on review of the ATMA activities in every two months. Presiding over the meeting, district
Collector AK Samal informed that Rs 22 crore has been sanctioned as drought assistance for the district, out of which Rs 17 crore has been received so far.