Opposition Congress and INLD on Monday said incessant rains have damaged crops in Haryana and demanded that the state government compensate the affected farmers.
Hooda, who is currently under home isolation after testing Covid positive a few days ago, said he will be among the farmers as soon as he recovers.
Opposition Congress and INLD on Monday said incessant rains have damaged crops in Haryana and demanded that the state government compensate the affected farmers.
Several vegetable crops, including potato, have been completely destroyed. Wheat and mustard farmers have also suffered due to this, former Chief Minister and Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader Abhay Singh Chautala said in separate statements.
"Therefore, the government should give compensation to the farmers by ordering a special girdawari (revenue survey) for the loss caused to farmers without any further delay,” Hooda, who is Leader of the Opposition in Haryana assembly, said.
Chautala also made a similar demand. "Crops of farmers have been severely damaged due to which they are facing financial loss...the government should immediately order a special girdawari and compensate farmers," he said.
Hooda said farmers are facing the wrath of the weather continuously for the last several seasons and they have demanded compensation several times but neither the insurance companies nor the government has compensated them for the losses. “In the last season too, more than five-and-a-half-lakh acres of crops were damaged due to excessive rain and waterlogging but, till date, farmers are waiting for the compensation,” he said.
“The government neither gave compensation nor solved the problem of waterlogging. Therefore, farmers not only suffered loss of the previous crop, but they could not sow this season too,” Hooda said. "In such a situation, the government should announce double compensation for those farmers. In addition to this, the government should also take immediate action to drain out water from waterlogged areas,” the former chief minister said.
“I have been constantly getting complaints from farmers as they are bearing the brunt of the weather besides government apathy and mismanagement,” he said. “Earlier, they did not get DAP fertiliser due to government neglect, now they are facing shortage of urea and sunflower seeds. The government should improve its attitude and stop harassing the farmers,” he added.
With inputs from PTI.