Haryana Human Rights Commission has issued a notice to the State Government taking suo motu cognizance of a media report on suicide of a farmer in Hisar district due to crop damage during recent untimely rains and hailstorm.
The Commission has asked the Haryana Chief Secretary to send the status report within four weeks “It is a serious matter. If a farmer has to end his life on account of the loss to his crop, then it is a clear violation of his right to live,” stated the Commission.
During the month of March, unseasonal rains and hailstorm has resulted in damage to the crops leaving large number of Haryana’s farmers in the lurch. The rainfall between end-February and mid-March has damaged the wheat crop on more than 20 lakh hectares in Haryana this year.
In another notice issued to Sirsa Deputy Commissioner as well as Chief Administrator, Marketing Board, Haryana, the Commission has asked them to file their reports within four weeks on what measures have been taken for storage in the grain market.
The notice was issued by the HHRC while taking suo motu cognizance of report titled “No space, laxity of market committee leading to losses for farmers in Sirsa” published in an English daily.
On the issue, the Commission stated, if there is a space crunch in the market committee sheds, then it will adversely affect the farmers and commission agents at the grain market, in as much as it will compel the farmers to dump their harvest on the road which is a national loss.