Hyderabad: Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar demanded the State government immediately release water, with the delay resulting in standing crops in 10 lakh acres getting dry.

On Thursday, he said that crops in the state are drying up due to the government’s negligence. “Although paddy has been planted on 56 lakh acres and maize on 7 lakh acres statewide, the failure to release water to these crops in a timely manner has resulted in approximately 10 lakh acres already experiencing crop failure.

This is especially true for the standing crops in the tail-end areas completely drying up. Farmers who invest over Rs 30,000 per acre and work diligently to cultivate six acres faced devastating losses as their fields dry up just when the crops are about to be harvested. The drying of their fields feels like milking the ground with a lump of rice. Despite farmers protesting to save their dying crops, the government seems indifferent, which is an unforgivable dereliction of duty,” he said.

The Union Minister added that it is distressing that the agriculture department has not acknowledged the farmers’ losses, even as crops dry up, are grazed by livestock, or burned. More than 20 lakh farmers are struggling to repay their debts, as the loan waiver has not been fully implemented, he alleged.

He demanded the farmers’ problems be discussed in the State Assembly and the government take immediate decisions to come to their rescue.