Taking a serious view of farmers dying while being burdened with debts, a delegation of the State Congress led by State PCC president, Preetam Singh and the leader of Opposition, Indira Hridayesh met Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Saturday. They were with the CM for around one hour. However, the CM office and the Opposition delegation cited different reasons for the meeting.
While Congress leaders said, they had gone to apprise the CM about the farmers’ woes the CM office contradicted it, saying that the MlAs had come to discuss matters related to their constituencies. The photographs released by the CM office on the meeting indicate the lighter mood in which the meeting was held with all present caught smiling, something that contradicts the somber matter the Opposition delegation is claimed to have gone to highlight.
Preetam Singh said that the farmers based in the hills are in grave situation with their crops being partially or fully destroyed due to hailstorm or heavy rain. “They are not in a position to repay their loans taken either from the banks or the private financers. Despite knowing the farmers’ plight due to loss of their crops, the banks are putting pressure on them to clear the loans with the interests.
This is what is goading them to commit suicide,” he said, adding that they have also submitted a memorandum to the CM that contains some other issues of the State. Aside from the farmers’ issues, the memorandum mentioned the rice being distributed through PDS outlets by the food and civil supply department being of very poor quality. “The MlAs also mentioned the problems the people of their respective constituencies are facing in terms of development. We have sought the Chief Minister’s intervention,” Singh said.
The matter of lohari gram sabha being affected with the construction work of Byasi dam project also figured in the meeting. Earlier, the State Government had decided to rehabilitate them in Jeevangarh on the lands which are under the sericulture department. “The decision though taken by the cabinet is not being implemented, leaving the people under stress. They are wondering over where they would go and how they would reconstruct their houses. We asked the CM to see to it that the cabinet’s decision is rightly executed and the villagers are rehabilitated as per the order of the cabinet,” one of the Congress MlAs who met the CM said. Other MlAs including Manoj Rawat, Qazi Nizamuddin, Karan Mahra, Rajkumar and Furkan Ahmed were part of the delegation.