Bengaluru: While farmers in other districts are on a suicide spree because of the debt burden, those in Kolar and Chikaballapur seem to be an exception. They don’t jump in joy when it rains nor do they grieve if it does not. While farmers from other districts are ending their lives due to crop loss, debt and other reasons, not a single case of a farmer committing suicide has not been reported from these districts so far. They are content with whatever rain they get. During the monsoon when they grow small quantities of fruits and vegetables.
They work in fields only if their region receives good rain or else they migrate to other cities in search of jobs. With no river, borewells go deep as much as 1,500 feet to find water. All drinking water projects planned by the state governments are moving at a snail’s pace. The incumbent government is yet to prepare a Detailed Project Report to execute Yettinahole project, a ray of hope for people of these two districts.
Till recently, the mango crop was supporting thousands of families in two districts. But mango trees on 35,000 hectares of land have perished due to drought. Now, people are requesting the government to supply waste water generated from Bengaluru so that it could be made reusable after recycling.
The condition of people of this region is pitiable. Their repeated requests to look into their genuine demands have fallen on deaf ears. Till date, drinking water was being supplied to hundreds of villages in tankers due to non-availability of a river source. Fodder was not available to feed the cattle. Even the milk produced by farmers was not purchased by dairies since they do not have the required fat.
Mincing no words, Mr Ramesh Kumar, former Speaker and sitting MLA from Srinivasapura in Kolar told Deccan Chronicle that “the government has totally neglected our region. All policies go against our farmers. In spite of a tough situation, our farmers have accepted the challenge and grown vegetables. Unfortunately, Mandya, which is blessed with Cauvery water throughout the year, has the maximum number of farmers committing suicide in the last four months. The quality of Mandya’s soil gets eroded due to constant flow of water. Unlike sugarcane, farmers in our districts have to be awake through the night to protect horticulture crops like carrot, capsicum, cabbage and flowers.”
He however said people were losing patience slowly. The government was more bothered about the industrial sector than the agriculture sector. “Are we not citizens of this nation? Are we not entitled to an equal share of services?,” he asked.
