Andhra Pradesh - Tirupati   

Suicide by farmers continues

Special Correspondent

Victims of the vicious circle of crop failure, indebtedness

TIRUPATI: Even a year after the Congress took the reigns of the State amid an alleged agrarian mess created by the TDP regime with its `lop-sided polices', suicide by farmers and rural artisans continues to be reported in the water-starved district.

The latest is the episode of a farmer whose body was found hanging from a tree in his own land holding. What allegedly drove the farmer, Sompalle Siddaiah (48), to suicide was debts to a tune of Rs. 2 lakhs. He was broke when the tomato and mirchi crops he raised on his two-and-a-half-acre land holding in Peddagandlapalle village near Piler withered away with the borewell going dry.

He reportedly sold away his herd of 50 sheep and took up farming on a one-acre land.

He could not succeed even in this.

A dejected Siddaiah, leaving behind his wife and three sons, committed suicide on Monday night.

In yet another debt-driven death, a handloom worker, Chinnabbai (36) of Varadaiahpalem, 60 km from here, ended his life by consuming a pesticide unable to make ends meet allegedly trapped as he was in debts. The impoverished handloom weaver died the next day in the hospital leaving behind his nine-year-old sun and seven-year-old daughter. Varadaiahpalem police maintained that they had no information about the incident till late on Monday night.

Self-immolation bid

In a bizarre incident, two brothers from Irala mandal-- Sudhakar Naidu and Purushotham Naidu - and their wives and kids attempted self-immolation in the Collectorate on Monday -- grievances day. They were allegedly fed up with revenue officials making them run from pillar to post to give them permission to put up a borewell to save their crops. Their attempts were foiled by bystanders.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh

News: Front Page | National | Tamil Nadu | Andhra Pradesh | Karnataka | Kerala | New Delhi | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous | Engagements |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary | Updates: Breaking News |

Stories in this Section

Suicide by farmers continues

Copyright © 2005, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu