CH News
Belagavi
Belagavi farmers are reeling under heavy rainfall as the overflowing Ghataprabha river has devastated farmlands, destroying standing crops worth crores, damaging roads and electrical equipment, and pushing farmers into severe financial distress just before harvest.
Rajya Sabha MP Iranna Kadadi, after visiting flood-hit villages like Avaradi, Aralimatti, Dhavaleshwar, and Masaguppi, urged the State Government to release additional compensation along with SDRF funds to provide immediate relief. He reviewed damages with taluk officials before addressing the media.
The district received 609 mm of rainfall between June 1 and September 4, exceeding the normal 487 mm by 122 mm. Crop losses are reported in 55,000 hectares out of 7.25 lakh sown hectares. Sugarcane (10,000 ha), green gram (31,970 ha), maize (12,000 ha), soybean (3,500 ha), paddy (11,000 ha), and horticultural crops (1,545 ha) were worst affected.
Kadadi strongly criticized the State Government, remarking, “there is no money to compensate farmers who have lost everything, but the government finds funds to buy helicopters for ministers’ tours. The district in-charge ministers are not even visiting flood-hit areas to assure the farmers. Instead, they are busy with DCC Bank elections, while others are campaigning for Bihar elections. How can farmers expect relief from such a government. This is an incompetent administration that cannot guarantee the survival of farmers,” he accused.
