WELCOME: Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy greeting a farmer at Bangalore Doordarshan's `Hello CM' programme in Bangalore on Sunday. — Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

BANGALORE: In the spirit of Sankranti, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy sought to offer a ray of hope for farmers who came from north Karnataka to participate in Bangalore Doordarshan's "Hello CM" programme here on Sunday.

During the two-hour interaction, the Chief Minister re-assured them of the priority the coalition Government would accord to address their concerns.

He made it clear that in addition to addressing the problems of farmers, he would take disciplinary action against the revenue officers who had compounded their problems with their callous behaviour.

Mr. Kumaraswamy took many on-the-spot decisions. He appealed to the farmers not to resort to committing suicide but have confidence in his Government. Any farmer could contact him directly for redressal of his problem, he said.

T. Ashwathaiah, arecanut farmer from Koratagere taluk, complained that the Koratagere tahsildar did not give him the information he had sought for two years. Because of the delay, he could not apply for subsidies under the National Horticultural Mission, he added.

Mr. Kumaraswamy promised him that he would take steps to provide him the information he had sought at the earliest.

He issued a stern warning to officials for ignoring the problems of farmers. He said the Revenue Department would initiate action against the tahsildar concerned on Tuesday.

Ganapathy, a farmer from Madikeri, narrated his tale of woe. The Water Resources Department had acquired his one-and-a-half acres plot in Somarwarpet. His requests to the officials to postpone the acquisition till he harvested the maize crop fell on deaf ears. They had told him that the value of the crop would be paid to him along with the compensation for his land. After a delay of six years, he got only Rs. 23,000 an acre of land as compensation. He had received nothing for the maize crop he lost, he said. Mr. Kumaraswamy promised him that he would initiate action against the officials concerned.

Shankar from Chikkodi in Belgaum district complained that officials of the Revenue, Agriculture, and Horticulture departments were discriminating against farmers on the party lines while extending benefits under various schemes. A visibly angry Chief Minister told the officials that their duty was to ensure that the schemes reached the people regardless of their party affiliation.

Venkatesh Reddy of Chitradurga district narrated how his fertile land was ruined. He could not make arrangements for the marriage of his daughter because of the growing debt.

The Chief Minister asked the farmer to meet him personally at his home office on Wednesday.

Flower market

Mr. Kumaraswamy announced that floriculturists of Bangalore and nearby areas would get an exclusive market for them here. This announcement came when floriculturists narrated the problems they faced in marketing their produce.

Bandeppa Kashempur, Agriculture Minister; K. Sudhakar Rao, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister; A. Ramaswamy, Principal Secretary (Agriculture); Mahesh Joshi, Doordarshan Director; and Gundappa, expert in agriculture from All India Radio, were present.

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