Bhubaneswar: Assembly Speaker Surya Narayan Patro Friday directed Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Sudam Marndi to make a statement on the drought situation in Bolangir within two days.
The direction came after Congress Legislature Party Leader and Bolangir MLA Narasingha Mishra and Kantabanji legislator Santosh Singh Saluja raised concern over the drought like situation in Bolangir district due to scanty rainfall this year.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Saluja said five districts have received 26 per cent deficit rainfall this year. These districts have so far received only 190 mm of rainfall against the normal rainfall of 393 mm. He said there was drought in 14 blocks of Bolangir district. “There has been 26 per cent deficit rainfall in Odisha and 41 per cent deficit rainfall in Bolangir. A farmer in Bolangir committed suicide due to deficit rain. The state government has failed to take steps to tackle the drought situation in Bolangir and other parts,” said Saluja.
He said Bhaktabandhu Dandasena, a farmer of Badakani village, had committed suicide when he saw his parched farmland. He was not covered under the KALIA scheme and he had not received his insurance money for 2017 and 2018. The Congress legislator demanded to declare drought in Bolangir and urged the Speaker to direct the minister concerned to make a statement on the steps taken by the government to tackle the problem.
Similarly, Mishra said various parts of the state including Bolangir are going to be affected by drought and wanted to know about the steps the government has taken to handle the situation.
Mishra urged the Speaker to direct the Revenue and Disaster Management Minister to make a statement about the steps taken by the government to face the alarming situation. He also urged for set up of a House Committee to visit the area and make an assessment of the drought situation.
On Thursday, ruling BJD member Ananta Das from Bhograi had also claimed that Balasore district also faced the threat of a drought due to deficit rainfall.
Apart from Koraput district, all the 29 districts in the state have received deficit rainfall. Five districts – Gajapati, Bolangir, Balasore, Rayagada and Kandhamal – have recorded above 40 per cent deficit rainfall.