Ranpur: Angry farmers Tuesday locked the Ranpur tehsil office here in Nayagarh district and staged a demonstration over the non-payment of drought assistance within seven days as promised by the tehsildar.
The incident led to tension in the area as around 22 officials of the tehsil office were trapped inside for about seven hours before the police intervened and arrested the farmers in the evening.
The farmers said the locking up of the tehsil office was a protest against the delay in release of drought compensation outstanding since 2015 despite assurance by the tehsildar.
The farmers organised under the Odisha Krushak Sabha had staged a sit-in outside the tehsil office February 4 over the issue. Tehsildar Manas Ranjan Ray met them and assured them of releasing their outstanding drought assistance within seven days. The farmers withdrew the protest, but they did not get the assured compensation.
This angered the farmers and they locked up the gate of the tehsil office and staged a protest outside Tuesday. In the evening Ranpur IIC Baidyanath Bhoi reached the spot with his team and released the officials trapped inside. The farmers were arrested and brought to the police station.
Odagaon tehsildar Parmod Kumar Nayak who is now the in-charge of Ranpur tehsil office condemned the incident. Tehsildar Ray is on leave.
Sources said the government had declared farmlands in Ranpur tehsil drought-affected due to lack of adequate rain in 2015. An inquiry was conducted and a list of 33,346 farmers was prepared and a compensation of Rs 10,75,80,638 was sanctioned.
The State Relief Commission sanctioned Rs 10,36,93,289 and disbursed it among 26,276 farmers. But the remaining farmers whose names were in the list did not get the assistance. They have made several attempts to raise their demands, but their pleas have not been addressed.
PNN
