Farmer burns crop, commits suicide,Minister orders probe
01 November,Bhubaneswar
Odisha Agriculture Minister Damodar Rout today directed a three-member Technical team to rush Baragarh to inquire into the alleged suicide of a farmer and the crop loss due to pest attack.
The technical team was asked to submit a report within 48 hours.
The Minister’s direction came in the wake of suicide of Brunda Sahu, a farmer of Kalapani area in Bargarh district who had set fire to his paddy field affected by pest yesterday and committed suicide today by consuming poison. Rout who chaired a high level meeting at the state Secretariat here told newsmen that the District Collectors were also asked to inquire into the crop loss due to pest attack and suicide of the farmer within 48 hours.
He said assistance to the farmers would be paid as per the provisions of the relief code after the receipt of the report. The Minister described the suicide of farmer as very sad and said the cause of the suicide would also be known after the post mortem report was received.
As per the reports the deceased farmer set fire to his paddy field yesterday after his repeated request to the authorities to save his crop from the pest attack failed to yield any result.The government officials did not pay any heed to his request. Some Villagers found him lying on his paddy field in a serious condition this morning and rushed him to hospital. He died at the hospital while undergoing treatment.
Reports said at least three farmers including Brunda Sahu have allegedly committed suicide in a span of a week in Baragarh district alone due to crop loss in pest attack.
The farmers in Western Odisha have suffered crop loss due attack by Brown Plant Popper Pest (BPHP) and report reaching here said some farmers of Lakhanpur area in Jharsuguda district and Khudpalli area in Sambalpur district have also set their pest affected paddy fields on fire today. The villagers alleged that the pesticide provided to them by the government was of substandard quality and failed to kill the pests. The Agriculture Minister said action would be taken against the officials if the allegations of farmers were found to be true.
Villagers today blocked NH-53 with the body of Brunda Sahu demanding adequate compensation to the next kin of deceased farmer. A compensation of Rs 10,000 was given to the family members of the deceased from Red Cross and Rs 2000 under Harischandra Yojana for his funeral,” the Minister said. The agitated farmers who blocked the road in protest against the suicide of the farmer, demanded Rs.30 lakh compensation to the deceased family and a job to one of his family members.
They also demanded that the government must admit that the farmers are committing suicide due to crop loss