The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Farmers protest against lack of fodder supply

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jun 24, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Farmers protest against lack of fodder supply

Staff Reporter

Ryots stage rasta roko on the Siddipet-Medak road

SANGAREDDY: For the second consecutive day farmers in the Siddipet sub-division of Medak district took hit the roads protesting against the inability of the Animal Husbandry Department to supply rice straw for their cattle. On Thursday farmers organised a rasta roko on the Siddipet-Medak road near Timmapur and Pedagundlavelli crossroads for hours.

On Wednesday farmers from Khanapur, Ankshapur, Venkatapur and Nermet of Nangunoor mandal who have waited for three days for free fodder assured by the department laid a seige on the highway affecting traffic towards Warangal and Siddipet.

Farmers were issued 4,800 cards to cater the needs of 3,000 cattle. Similar scenes were witnessed in Kondapak where farmers alleged that they were given fodder only once since the programme began on June 13.

Interference

The officers who have to stretch their resources according to the demands of the politicians have no solution in hand and they tried to convince the farmers to fetch their own fodder and assured that the Animal Husbandry Department would reimburse their expenditure.

In fact the department was forced to open more free fodder camps than they could handle. In Siddipet, the constituency of the State Youth Minister, T. Harish Rao, three camps were opened up at Raghavapur, Chinnakodur, Rajagopalpet, while in Dubbaka Assembly segment one more camp has been requested by its MLA, S. Ramalinga Reddy, in addition to Duddeda and Thoguta.

In Gajwel, the constituency of the Minister for Tourism, J. Geetha Reddy, the department has been forced to open three camps at Vargal, Mulugu and Toopran.

Other districts

The Joint Director of Animal Husbandry, N. Yadgiri Rao, told The Hindu that efforts are being made to bring straw from neighbouring districts like Warangal and even Khammam to supply in Siddipet division.

He said that delayed rains and ploughing of fields for the Kharif season has added to the problem of short supply of fodder.

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

Andhra Pradesh