Contending that “300 out of 36 districts in the State” have been badly affected by excessive rainfall and floods, the Opposition Congress on Tuesday rooted for declaration of “wet drought” in the State and disbursal of Rs 50,000 per hectare of damaged crops to all affected farmers and Rs 5 lakh per hectare to those whose farmland has been washed away.
Eight persons died, while hundreds of houses were damaged over the last four days as rains wreaked havoc in the usually parched Marathwada region of Maharashtra, officials said on Tuesday. The State cabinet reviewed the situation at a meeting in Mumbai, with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis assuring that the Government was working to provide relief to farmers and others.
More than 750 houses and crops on over 33,000 hectares were damaged in Dharashiv district, where helicopters and boats had to be deployed to rescue stranded people, they said.
Talking to media persons, Maharashtra Congress chief Harshvardhan Sapkal charged that the BJP-led MahaYuti Government was “indifferent” towards the plight of farmers who have been devaStated by excessive rains, so much so that the guardian ministers had not even inspected the affected crops.
“This year, Maharashtra has received two to three times the average rainfall. Out of 36 districts and 358 talukas, 30 districts and nearly 300 talukas have been affected by excessive rainfall and floods.”
“Nearly 14.3 million hectares of farmland have suffered massive damage across the State. With continuous rainfall, farmers are devaStated, but the Mahayuti Government is indifferent to their plight. Even guardian ministers have not conducted inspections,” Sakpal said.
“At the State cabinet meetings, there has only been hollow talk. The State Government must wake up and provide Rs 50,000 per hectare immediately to all affected farmers and Rs 5 lakh per hectare to those whose farmland has been washed away,” Sapkal said.
Coming down heavily on the Devendra Fadnavis dispensation over its lackadaisical towards mitigating the problems of the flood-affected farmers across the State, Sakpal said: “Owing to heavy rains, the farmers in the districts of Marathwada, Vidarbha, Solapur and Ahilyanagar in western Maharashtra have suffered massive losses.
The situation is grim in Marathwada region. We have for the past two months been demanding relief to the affected farmers, but the State Government has been making empty promises”.
Averring that the MahaYuti Government was “anti-farmer” in its approach, the State Congress chief said: “The rains have wreaked havoc. Crops, land, livestock, and household materials have all been swept away. Yet the blind, deaf, and mute Government is insensitive to the farmers’ miseries. It is most unfortunate that the Chief Minister has to instruct his ministers to even visit the districts”.
Sakpal demanded to know as to what happened to the loan waiver that the State Government had promised to the distressed farmers, during its election campaigns.
Sakpal said that when it was in power, the Congress-led Government would provide immediate relief to the famers, whenever there was heavy damage to crops due to diseases, bollworms, hailstorms, or cyclones.
“But the BJP-led Government is stuck in rules, terms, and conditions. With such widespread damage, why conduct surveys first? Instead, provide relief first, then complete paperwork. While ministers of the Government are asleep, Congress has set up committees to assess the flood-hit areas,” the State Congress chief said.