Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari directs collectors to asses crop damages in Telangana

Hyderabad: Following the instructions given by the Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, the Chief Secretary A Santhi Kumari has directed the District Collectors to submit proper details of crop damage due to unseasonal rains in the State by May 1.

She chaired a video conference with all District Collectors during which she instructed them to appoint special officers for each mandal to assess the damage.

As thunderstorms were likely to occur in the State for a few more days, she asked Collectors to take appropriate measures to prevent the paddy grain stocked in procurement centres from getting wet.

Referring to the crop loss after the recent rains, the Chief Secretary said the compensation was being distributed from Monday onwards.

Agriculture Secretary Raghunandan Rao, Disaster Management Secretary Rahul Bojja and Panchayat Raj Commissioner Hanumantha Rao were present.

It is to mention here that agriculture crops in some districts of Telangana were damaged due to unseasonal rains and hailstorms during the last two days.

Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday directed the officials to take up assessment of damages caused to the crops.

In the wake of crop damages due to untimely rains in Choppadandi and Karimnagar rural mandal of Karimnagar district and other parts of the state, the Chief Minister directed Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari to take up the assessment of crop damages. He asked the Chief Secretary speak to District Collectors and get detailed reports on crop damages.

This is the second time this summer that untimely rains and hailstorms have damaged crops in parts of Telangana.

Meanwhile, minister for civil supplies Gangula Kamalar on Sunday visited a few areas in Karimnagar district and inspected fields damaged by unseasonal rains.

Assuring that the KCR government will provide 100 per cent compensation, he advised farmers not to lose heart. He noted that some parts of the district had seen worst-ever damage to the crops.

The minister said a second disaster has dealt a blow to farmers even before they could recover from the first.

He claimed that the losses were minimised due to timely setting up of paddy procurement centres by the state government

Kamalakar assured the affected farmers that the government will procure the paddy soaked in rains.

Meanwhile, farmers in Jangaon district staged a protest on a highway demanding payment of compensation for the crop damage due to unseasonal rains.

Unseasonal rains and hailstorms had damaged crops over 2.28 lakh acres in various parts of the state last month. The chief minister had then announced a compensation of Rs 10,000 per acre.

However, after a survey the agriculture department decided to pay compensation only in respect of 1.51 lakh acres. Officials said the money will be deposited in the bank accounts of 1,30,988 farmers.