The Ganjam BJP Krushak Morcha led by its president Gadadhar Swain staged a rally of farmers and party workers and submitted a memorandum addressed to the State Governor at the RDC office here on Monday in support of the farmers’ outstanding demands.
Even though Ganjam is the State’s most populous agricultural district from which Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik hails and he is in power since last 15 years, the condition of farmers and farming in the district is quite deplorable, the memorandum said.
It stated that during the long BJD rule, no tangible development of farmers in the district has taken place, as a result of which thousands of farmers from the district are migrating to other States every year as Dadan labourers,
Many farmers who secured loan but failed to repay it are committing suicide. Due to poor monsoon rains in the district, farming operation has been affected, but the Government has failed to provide adequate seeds to the farmers, the memorandum pointed out.
The last year’s cyclone Phailin broke the backbone of farmers in the district, but they are yet to get compensation from the Government for the loss of crops, said Swain.
Only to get votes of the farmers, the Government had declared `100 extra bonus for each bag of rice before the elections, but the Government has betrayed them by not paying the bonus yet, he alleged. During the last 15 years, though a number of Ministers including the Chief Minister represented the district, no tangible development in irrigation has taken place. Produced rice is not purchased at a remunerative price.
There is a nexus between the Government officials and mill owners. Even though crores of rupees are being collected from farmers through RMCs, no infrastructure development of Mandis is being taken up, Swain said.
The Governor should take appropriate steps to protect the interests of farmers by mounting pressure on the Government to take immediate measures to provide relief to the farmers, the memorandum urged.
The memorandum also demanded immediate payment of compensation to the Phailin-affected farmers, supply of adequate quality seeds free of cost, improvement of irrigation facilities by increasing the heights of water levels of all medium and large irrigation points, purchase of rice though Mandis at reasonable price, probe into the nexus between the Supplies Department and mill owners and publishing a White Paper on this issue.
The delegation included district BJP president Bijaya Kumar Swain, State executive member Saroj Sabat, district general secretaries Sunil Sahu and Dharanidhar Behera and district vice-presidents Prabir Patra, Anup Panda and Giridhari Padhi, State Yuva Morcha secretary N Rajendra Kumar and Mahanagar president Bhavani Shankar Das.