State Govt yet to decide on extent of crop damage compensation despite EC’s green signal

HYDERABAD: The Telangana Agricultural Department announced that hail storms and unseasonal rains have damaged different standing crops in 10 districts in March and 15,814 acres of crops belonging to 15,246 farmers were destroyed.

The department after its initial survey cleared a payment of Rs 15.81 crore as compensation after the Election Commission of India approved the State Government's request two weeks ago.

However, after its own survey at the ground level, the opposition BRS pegged the damage at 20 lakh acres. Agriculture minister Tummala Nageswara Rao said that officials had identified 920 acres where crops were damaged by the recent rains, in addition to the 2,200 acres identified earlier in Rangareddy, Jangaon and Nirmal districts.

But senior Congress leader G Chinna Reddy said that crops were damaged in over 2 lakh acres. While the Ranth Reddy Government procrastinated the release of funds despite clearance from the ECI, there was no clarity on the extent of the damage or the quantum of compensation to be paid to the farmer.

The BRS Government, during a similar situation in March last year paid Rs 10,000 per acre as compensation. The Congress which was in opposition at that time condemned it and demanded more for the farmers.

Now the Congress Government said it would be able to pay Rs 10,000 per acre considering its financial situation.