Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (SHS)
Mangalore, May 21: The district unit of the Karnataka State Farmers Association (KSFA) and Hasiru Sene staged a 24-hours symbolic hunger demonstration demanding to solve the key problems pertaining to the farmers across the state and in the district on Tuesday May 20 here at the premises of DC office.
The association put forth its demands which included the complete waiving of farmer loans, diverting the HPCL gas pipelines to non-residential and non-agricultural lands, eviction of the farmers who owned the land amidst forest and thwarting the Yettinahole project.
After a formal inauguration of the hunger strike, the state president of KSFA, Chamarasa Maali Patil, taking a swipe at the state government led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said, "Despite the fact that the agro-sector contributes its best to the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of the state, the government has been neglecting the sector. The central government (UPA II) has passed the food security bill mulling to equally distribute the food."
He opined, "This is cynical as the UPA-II failed to provide security to the farmers; if their problems are not addressed, the food production would decline and the nation will suffer food deficiency."
He also asked the government to waive loans of the farmers and to stall the efforts of the government which had forcibly collected loans from the hapless farmers.
He said that the compensation of Rs 175 crores released to bear the loss incurred by the crop-related diseases had been skewed, with the government improperly distributing the funds. He added that the fund which was released by the UPA-II needed to be re-looked at.
He urged the state government to act on instituting the areca development board as soon as possible.
"The eviction of farmers working in the arable lands in the forests has to be stopped. They are the aboriginals who are leading a peaceful life, which currently has been disturbed by the interventions of the government," he said. He asked the government to solve the problem soon.
The other key demands outlined by the farmers included the scrubbing of the Yettinahole project, providing 12 hours of water supply, diversion of HPCL pipelines, minimum of Rs 5000 pension grant to the farmers, scientific solutions for the spoilt crops and many more.