Weather vagaries: Er Rasheed asks govt to move beyond ‘fake surveys’, ‘false promises’
Baramulla: To mitigate the losses to farmers and orchardists due to the heavy rains and hailstorm accompanied by high speed winds in the valley, AIP Chief Er Rasheed has appealed the state government to make a comprehensive policy for farmers and fruit growers.
Rasheed has sought immediate attention of the government towards the “havoc” created by hail storm, floods and high speed winds especially in the north Kashmir areas.
After visiting the affected areas, Rasheed said in a statement that while the natural calamities destroyed paddy, fruit and other crops every year, “But except condolences and fake surveys, nothing concrete happens on the ground”.
“Every year, horticulture, agriculture and revenue authorities carry out surveys and this increases the hopes of farmers, but at the end either some nominal amount is paid to the farmers or the false promises remain unfilled, thus eroding the credibility of the system,” Rasheed added.
He asked the state government not to forget that fruit industry was the backbone of state economy and both Agriculture and Horticulture sector deserve a top priority of the administration.
“However, that is never happening”.
Rasheed asked the government to make a policy that ensures time bound compensation to the victims of natural calamities.
“Much has been talked about crop insurance schemes but unfortunately the fate of farmers remains unchanged. Just having assessments and doing nothing beyond that is like adding salt to the injuries,” he said.
Rasheed asked Governor Satya Pal Malik to intervene and allocate a sufficient amount to meet the natural calamities including floods and hailstorm, which have become a routine due to changing climates all over the world.
KV News
