Post News Network
Bolangir/Bhawanipatna, Dec 4: Two separate Central teams Friday visited Bolangir and Kalahandi districts to examine the extent of drought in the area.
The five-member team that visited Bolangir was led by deputy adviser Manas Choudhury of NITI Aayog. The members included senior statistical officer RB Kaul of the expenditure department, assistant commissioner of fisheries and animal husbandry SK Dutta, DGM SK Das from the Food Corporation of India and Pradip Kumar, an official from the rural development department. Collector M Muthukumar also accompanied the team.
Though there are water sources available near the farmland, they don’t serve the purpose due to faulty management and lack of coordination among officials, the farmers told the team.
The officials first held discussions with the farmers of Shivtala village of Bolangir block where the paddy plants had withered. The crops couldn’t be saved in the absence of any kind of irrigation facility, the aggrieved farmers told the team. Farmer Biranchi Putel said he is now working as a daily labourer under MGNREGS to support his family.
Later, they visited Bhutiabahal village where farmers lamented that the Brahamnijor check dam which was built about 15 years back is of no use for them. Poor construction work and negligence of minor irrigation (MI) department led to this condition, the paddy growers alleged. The team advised the collector to talk to the MI department to help out the farmers.
The Central team members also went to Bandhapada panchayat office where the sarpanch apprised the team of the problems faced by the locals. Before leaving for Bhubaneswar, the members visited some more panchayats under Muribahal block.
In most of the places, the farmers pleaded with the team to ensure irrigation facilities if the condition of farmers is to be improved.
A report would be submitted to the Union government and the problems of the farmers would be highlighted in it, the team members said.
Meanwhile, another Central team led by KS Srinivas visited 14 villages of Bhawanipatna, Kesinga and Narla blocks of Kalahandi district to prepare a report on the drought situation. The condition in the district this year is extremely grim, the officials said, adding that the farmers are in the lurch due to poor irrigation facilities.