More than his Congress party, three-time MlA Santosh Singh Saluja, popularly called Kuku Singh, is a force to reckon with in the Kantabanji Assembly in Balangir district. This was once again evident form a massive farers’ rally he organised in the area on his own on October 6.Responding to his call “Chashibhai Titilagarh Chala” (Farmer brothers, let us go to Titilagarh), several thousands of farmers joined his rally and marched towards the Sub-Collector’s office shouting slogans like ‘Kuku Bhai Jindabad’ and ‘Kuku Bhai Aamar Neta’. On reaching the Sub-Collector’s office, the farmers held a protest meeting and later submitted a memorandum, addressed to the Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Maheswar Mohanty, demanding early declaration of Kantabanji Assembly constituency as 100 per cent drought-hit.
“We demand all 19 gram panchayats of Tureikala block, 26 GPs of Bangomunda block, 22 GP of Tureikala block and 16 wards of the Kantabanji NAC be declared as fully drought-hit as they have all received an average of below 20 per cent rainfall as of now,” demanded Saluja.
He demanded that the Government should not wait crop cutting report and should declare Kantabaji Assembly constituency area fully drought-affected on the basis of Section 29 (A) of the Odisha Relief Code as the area has suffered from ‘Gaja Marudi’ (crops destroyed fully due to lack of water).
The other demands include payment of input subsidy of Rs 10,000 as compensation per acre of land for all lost Kharif crops like paddy, maize, biri (black gram), mung (green gram) and cotton and payment of 100 insurance indemnity to all the farmers of the above 67 GPs and 16 NAC wards by including their crops under the Kharif 2017 Insurance.
Besides, Saluja demanded that all loans taken by the farmers for raising crops be waived and needy people be provided labour-based jobs before they migrate to outside in search of job. Similarly, GR Card and free chicken (cooking food) should be immediately provided to the poor and old people and cattle feeds for all domestic animals. All left-out old men and old women should be given pension and all should be provided rice under the NFSA, he demanded.