The Opposition Congress on Tuesday said paddy worth crores of rupees have been left in open for rotting at different procurement centres across the State and the State Government is responsible for it.
The State unit Congress spokesman Sushil Anand Shukla said at least seventy per cent of the procured paddy has been left in open in unsafe conditions. The heavy unseasonal rains have been lashing the state since Monday late night which caused a massive damage to paddy stored in open at procurement centres. The quantity of paddy left in open would be about 56 lakh tonnes and its approximate value would be Rs 7392 lakh, the Congress spokesperson further alleged. large quantity of paddy got wet and started germinating due to rain, he said. The BJP Government has no plan for the protection of the paddy. The Government purchased cover and tirpal worth crore of rupees but it seems to be on pen and paper as no such arrangements is in sight, he said.
Even the State Government has not made any arrangements for the release of rain water in the procurement centres and purchase centres as a result lakh of tonnes of paddy have been damaged, he said. Taking a dig at the Food and Civil Supplies Minister, the Congress leader said unseasonal rains have damaged paddy worth crores of rupees across the state but unfortunately the minister is not aware of it, he said.
“One can see the wet paddy lying in open in every five-10 kelometers in any area of the state,’’ Shukla said and added that it was not the first time that farmers have suffered due to apathy of the Government.