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Officials flayed for not declaring 14 mandals as drought-hit
Farmers allege that the government declared only 49 mandals out the of 63 drought-hit mandals and left the remaining
Anantapur/Puttaparthi: Farmers of 14 mandals, which registered less percentage of rainfall, criticised that they were overlooked by the Agriculture authorities in declaring these mandals as ‘drought mandals’. They alleged that the officials were negligent in assessing the crop damage and application of parameters that determine declaration of mandals as ‘drought mandals’.
Bommanahal mandal, Beluguppa, Yellanur in Anantapur district and Puttaparthi, Obuladevacheruvu, Nallamada, Kadiri, Gandlapenta, Thanalallu, Chennekothapalli, Penukonda, Ramagiri, Nalla cheruvu and Amadagur mandals have been ignored by the Committee that determines the parameters on technical grounds, farmers alleged.
Although all the 63 mandals in the undivided district have been affected by drought conditions, the government zeroed in only 49 mandals and ignored 14 mandals. Farmers were adversely affected by the inadequate rainfall during Kharif season, who cultivated groundnut, yellow gram dal, castor oil and cotton apart from other commercial crops. Now with the advent of Rabi season, farmers are helpless as the same drought conditions persist with no signs of rainfall.
According to official information, from June 1 to November 1 this year Penukonda mandal registered only 207 mm of rainfall against the normal rainfall of 550 mm. Similarly, Ramagiri recorded 219 mm rainfall against the normal rainfall of 434 mm, Gandlapenta 31.2 mm, Thanakallu 24 mm and OD Cheruvu 37 mm, which is 50 per cent less than normal rainfall, resulting in withering of groundnut crop and pulses. These mandals have not been declared as drought-hit.
Krishnam Nani, a farmer from Kadiri, bemoaned that he cultivated groundnut crop for the past two years and spent Rs 50,000, but couldn’t get returns matching to his investment due to drought conditions. The authorities did not declare his mandal as drought-hit.
Nagalakshmi, a farmer from Garladinne mandal, said that she sowed groundnut in three acres by spending Rs 1.20 lakh but lost everything as the crop withered away due to monsoon failure. If drought conditions persist, she said that she will give up agriculture for all times to come.
