Farmers reel under losses due to rains in Telangana, await compensation

Hyderabad: Thousands of farmers in the state have been left battered by the incessant rains and floods that hit last week. Hundreds of acres of land and standing crops on them have been destroyed in Khammam and other districts.

Deccan Chronicle spoke to an affected farmer, Yaswanth Chowdary in Chandrupatala village of Khammam district. Chowdary said he and about 500 farmers in his village had lost over an acre of land each and paddy and cotton crop due to the rains. “So far we have not received any assurance from the government about compensation for this massive loss. It was only today that officers from the agriculture department visited the village to take stock of the situation but they did not tell us anything,” Chowdary said.

He added that this is not the only issue they are facing as farmers. Farmers in Chowdary’s village claim they have not received any benefits under the Rythu Bandhu scheme since last year. “In my mandal alone, there are about 3,000 farmers who are yet to receive money. Imagine how many farmers who have suffered the fury of nature may be awaiting help all over the district and the state,” he said.

Farmers in Chandrupatala are also furious over the compensation for the land that was acquired in the village. The government took over a large section of the land at low rates for the greenfield highway from Suryapet to Devarapalli, which passes through the village. Farmers claim that while the private rate of land there is nearly `20 lakh per acre, the government has valued it at `3 lakh.