Vinay Pais
Daijiworld Media Network—Kundapur (RD/CN)
 
Kundapur, Sep 16: “Due to the biases of the agriculture and horticulture department officers, genuine farmers are deprived of state facilities and instead have to source it from private agencies which has created chaos.  As state facilities are not effective in reaching farmers, the entire fraternity had to stage a struggle without any choice,” said Deepak Kumar Shetty, president, taluk Raita Sangh.
 
Addressing a mass gathering of protesters at the nearby taluk office here on Thursday September 15, Uday Kumar Shetty said that department officers are not responding to the farmers’ issues.  “People’s representatives don’t raise their voice against corruption. Plans are underway in the country to acquire fertile farmlands with the intention of selling it to mega industries,” he alleged.  

Uday Kumar also said that due to the lack of staff in the concerned department, the farmers had to bribe the officers to avail state benefits.  “Chemical fertilizers are not distributed due to irregularities in ration cards.  Despite computers being installed in the revenue department at Hemmady, they are out of order since over a year and have not been repaired,” he said expressing displeasure over the working of the department.
 
Raita Sangh leaders Nagappa Kottari, Vasant Hegde, Ganesh and others elaborated on various issues of farmers at the occasion. 
 
The leaders presented a memorandum to Kundapur sub-division officer Sadashiv Prabhu.
 
Thousands of farmers from Byndoor, Shiroor, Nagoor, Maravante, Hemmady, Tallur and neighbouring villages across the taluk participated in the massive protest.