Farmers peeved at callousness in reporting crop damage

RANIPET: Farmers in Ranipet district are peeved that officials without undertaking physical verification have stated that only 4,780 acres paddy was affected in the entire district due to the recent rain when the actual damage was much more, sources revealed.

Ranipet district administration on Sunday revealed that in addition to 4,780 acres of paddy, 850 acres of groundnut, 2.5 acres millets and 190 acres pulses were affected by the torrential downpour. The affected crop was owned by 3,156 farmers.

Tamilaga Vivasayigal Sangam youth wing state president R Subash said, “No revenue official, not even a VAO inspected the damaged crops. Both Ranipet Collector D Baskara Pandian and Handlooms Minister R Gandhi visited only specific areas as their visits was mainly to inspect damage to public infrastructure.”

Officials collected information from local sources and based on this, figures were released, he said. Elaborating, he said “I myself told the officials who asked me that more than 4,000 acres was affected in Nemili and Arakkonam taluks which bore the brunt of water logging. This was only a ballpark figure based on information I received from farmer members of the Sangam, But, in actual fact more than 7,000 acres were affected in both these taluks.”

The problem was compounded by the fact that most damage was caused by water from already brimming irrigation tanks overflowing into farmlands with standing paddy crop said Siruvalayam farmer Purushottaman.

Echoing this farmer, Gopi of Kalpanapattu village said, “We feel the reduced figures might be a move to reduce payment of compensation to affected farmers and also to show the district administration in a good light. On the spot verification by officials if undertaken will show that the affected area could even be more.”

The Tamilaga Vivasayigal Sangam has now demanded that the state government pay Rs 20,000 per acre for both submerged paddy and groundnut crops.