HASSAN: Legislators representing the eight Assembly segments in the Hassan Parliamentary Constituency have decided to submit a memorandum to Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh to provide compensation to farmers who have suffered crop losses owing to incessant rains in the past 15 days. They will also urge him to come to the rescue of farmers who have not insured their crop.

The Minister for Public Works and Energy, H.D. Revanna, who spoke to presspersons here on Monday after holding a meeting with senior officials to review the progress of relief works taken up in various parts of the district affected by rains, said that according to a survey conducted by the Agriculture and Horticulture departments, potato growers have suffered crop losses worth Rs. 26.89 crores as the crop grown in an area of 10,757 hectares has been destroyed by the rains.

Ginger grown in 2,965 hectares and worth Rs. 29.65 crores has also been ravaged. The total loss incurred by growers of other crops has been put at Rs. 56.61 crores by the survey, he said. Rains have claimed two lives, and property worth Rs. 83.24 crores has been damaged in the past fifteen days, he added.

Funds released

The Government has released Rs. 50 lakhs under the Calamity Relief Fund to the district administration, and an additional sum of Rs. 50 lakhs will be released soon. A sum of Rs. 50,000 has been paid as compensation to the next of the kin of a person who died while crossing a stream, he said and added that another compensation claim will be settled soon.

The State Government has appealed to the Union Government and insurance companies to extend the time limit for the payment of premium for crop insurance by at least by 15 days as many farmers could not pay it owing to lack of communication, Mr. Revanna said. To a query on the delay in settling crop insurance claims of farmers for 2004-05, he said the authorities concerned are making efforts to settle the claims.

Encroachments

Mr. Revanna, who also participated in the Karnataka Development Programme review meeting in the Hassan Zilla Panchayat, said the meeting took serious view of the encroachment of tank-bed areas in various parts of the district. The authorities concerned have been directed to take steps to evict the encroachers. The Deputy Commissioner has been asked to probe the misuse of funds by officials of the Caurvery Command Area Development Authority.

The "failure" of officials of the Irrigation Department in completing works taken up under the Hemavathi project was discussed at length in the meeting, he said and added that it has been decided to complain to the Secretary, Department of Irrigation, about the lapses in implementing the project.

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