Odisha govt seeks report on damage of crops due to pest attack

Bhubaneswar: The Revenue & Disaster Management Department on Wednesday instructed District Collectors of eight districts to submit a detailed report on the damage of crops due to pest attack, following the suicide of a farmer in Bargarh district after torching his pest-affected crops.

In a letter to district collectors of Bargarh, Bolangir, Ganjam, Kalahandi, Koraput, Nuapada, Sambalpur and Subarnapur, Additional Relief Commissioner Mihir Chand Mallick has asked them to conduct necessary joint field verification through the field functionaries of Revenue & Disaster Management and Agriculture & Farmers' Empowerment departments and furnish the report along with detailed information about area under crop loss to the extent of 33% and above to the Department within 2 days.

Mallick has also stated that senior officers of the district should supervise the exercise and cross verify the report to ensure that correct data reaches to the government.

On the other hand Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) has instructed the Bargarh Collector and secretaries of Agriculture and Revenue departments to submit report on the farmers' suicide issue within three weeks. The commission issued the notice based on a petition filed by Samajwadi Party State president Rabi Behera.

Also Read: After torching crops, farmer ends life in Bargarh

A day after torching his pest-affected crops, Brunda Sahu of Kalapani in Bargarh had committed suicide on Wednesday by consuming poison. Sahu was under severe stress after failing to control pest attack on his maize crops in his half acre land. In an extreme step of despondency, he had set afire his standing crops on Tuesday to prevent further attack of pest.

Fellow farmers had alleged that the pesticide supplied to them by the government was of substandard quality which led to the damage of crops.

Later in the day, Agriculture Minister Damodar Rout sent a team of experts to the area and directed them to report within 48 hours. He had even said that strict action will be taken if any official is found responsible. A team of officials led by Bargarh tehsildar in-charge rushed to the spot and carried out an on-the-spot inquiry.

You May Like: Separation of conjoined twins: Jaga taken off ventilator 

With the death of Brunda Sahu, Bargarh district witnessed third farmer suicide in a span of seven days.