BJP Demands Judicial Probe Into Farmers Suicide In Odisha
By B.Maharana
05 November, Bhubaneswar
Slamming the Odisha BJD Government for its apathetic attitude towards farmers and farm sector, BJP demanded a judicial probe into the series of farmer’s suicide in the state.
Addressing a press conference at the state party headquarter Thursday ,Senior BJP leader Bijaya Mohapatra expressed grave concern over the large scale farmer’s sucide.He said that already 60 farmers have committed suicide in the recent past due to crop failure and over burden with loan. But the state government, relying on the collectors’ report,which attributed deaths to some other reasons.
Mohapatra said it was high time that the state government instead of asking the collector to probe into the farmers death,approached the Chief Justice of Odisha High Court to spare the judicial officers to conduct probe into each suicide case of the farmer.
The BJP leader said the BJP team recently visited drought affected districts of Gajapati, Rayagada and Kandhmal and discussed the situation with the farmers. The drought, the BJP leader said, has assumed a disastrous situation and the farmers had stated that they have no other option but are forced to commit suicide due to the extensive crop failure and loan burden.
They also alleged that the state government was yet to realize the gravity of the situation and so far neither any minister nor any official had visited their area to take stock of the situation.
The state government is also yet to declare Gajapati, Nayagarh and Kandhmal as drought affected districts although these districts have reported extensive crop failure.
Mohapatra demanded complete waiver of agricultural loan of the farmers in the drought hit areas so that they will be able to sustain the distress condition and refrain from taking any drastic step to end their lives. The BJP leader alleged that the claim of huge agricultural loan sanctioned to the farmers was only on paper and has never reached the farmers.He demanded that the state government come forward with the list of the farmers who have been provided with the loan from the cooperative societies.
Mohapatra also alleged that in the wake of crop failure large number of children of the farmers’ families have left for Kerala in search of jobs, but the state government has no such information about the migration.
He warned that if the government did not act more and more children will migrate to Kerala to eke out a living.