Drought: Farmer attempts suicide before central team in K’taka

Belagavi: A farmer attempted suicide when a central team visited this district to assess the drought situation in the state on Friday.

As the team was visiting farms and agricultural fields, the farmer approached the officers with a bottle of pesticide and tried to drink it.

However, in a swift action, the police officers snatched the bottle from him.

A distraught Appasaheb Lakkundi then said that the crop he had grown on 40 acres was destroyed completely due to drought compelling him to take the extreme step.

He also expressed his outrage at the officers who keep visiting the farmers, promise them compensation and then do nothing about it.

The state government has free schemes for women but nothing for farmers, Lakkundi lamented.

Belagavi DC Nitesh Patil, who accompanied the team, spoke about the severe drought situation in the district.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday held talks with the Interministerial Central Team and asked them to take suitable measures in the interest of farmers of the state.

Explaining the drought situation in the state to the central team, the Chief Minister stated that 195 taluks have been declared drought-prone as per the central guidelines.

Another 32 taluks fulfil the prescribed criteria.

Farmers are suffering due to delays in southwest monsoon and lack of rain in the state. Ninety per cent of the crop has been sown, of which over 42 lakh hectares have suffered crop damage.

Farmers’ fields are green but there is no yield.

Explaining the prevailing situation, the Chief Minister said that there is a green drought in the state.

He opined that the team must understand the situation during the tour, and convince the central government about it so that they should quickly respond to the plight of the farmers in the state.

Due to a delay in monsoon and the lowest rainfall in the last 122 years in the month of August, the state’s dams are empty. There were scattered rains in the month of September. The monsoon is coming to an end. This has created fear of a shortage of drinking water and electricity, he said.

The state is demanding a Rs 6,000 crore relief package from the central government.