Shergad: Paddy crops worth Rs 9 lakh of 22 farmers of Madhupadar village under this block in Ganjam district were reduced to ashes Saturday night.
Preliminary investigation revealed the paddy heaps were set on fire by miscreants. However, the intention of the miscreants was not known.
Among the affected farmers were Dhoba Bisoyi, Bijuli Sethy, Simanchal Sethy, Bapuni Sethy, Nanda Sethy, Sahadev Sethy, Abhimanyu Sethy, Sukanti Sethy, Trinath Sethy, Sibaram Sahu, Rajendra Sethy, Subash Chandra Sahu, Upendra Sahu, Prafulla Sahu, Narmada Sahu, Saita Das, Narmada Das, Maheswar Sahu, Yudhishtir Sahu and Krushna Chandra Sahu.
The farmers had heaped their harvested paddy in an open field for further processing. The matter came to fore after a local spotted flames arising from the field and alerted the farmers.
Locals tried to douse the flames, but in vain. Fire brigade personnel had to intervene to bring the situation under control. By then, the paddy of all the 22 farmers had been reduced to ashes.
While the farmers were already under stress due to crop loss following pest attacks and unseasonal rains, the fire mishap has come as a shocker for them. Many farmers even lost the little paddy they had saved to feed their families.
The incident spread tension in the village for a while as the farmers demanded a probe into the incident and action against those behind it. They also demanded the administration provide compensation to the affected farmers. PNN
