Andhra Pradesh - Anantapur   

Heavy rush for groundnut seed; police resort to lathicharge

Staff Reporter

Lack of planning leads to over-crowding at counters

Testing patience: Women waiting in a queue for getting coupon for supply of groundnut seed at Anantapur on Thursday.

ANANTAPUR: Problems of farmers seeking subsidised seed groundnut continued on the second day of supply (being done on alternate days) in the district on Thursday. Several farmers were injured when the police resorted to lathi-charge at Singanamala and Kuderu unable to control the thronging numbers.

One Chinna Muddanna, who sustained serious head injury when he was hit on his bald head at Singanamala, was rushed to the General Hospital here for treatment. Narasimhulu and Narayana of Aravakuru, Mohammed of Jallipalli and Padmavathi of P. Narayanapuram were also hurt in the lathi-charge at Kuderu. Even the spacious agriculture market yard was not enough to contain the surge of farmers among whom were also aged and women. (There is a stipulation that only those with a photograph on the pattadar passbooks can take the delivery of seed).

Lack of planning on part of officials also led to over-crowding of five counters set up here.

With no separate counters for them, women had to literally vie with men physically for taking coupons for seed delivery.

District secretary of CPI(M) G. Obulakonda Reddy, district secretary of Andhra Pradesh Rythu Sangham P. Peddi Reddy and district president of Horticulture Farmers’ Union V. Shiva Reddy visited the seed supply centres in different parts of the district.

They condemned the lathi-charge on the farmers who were thronging the supply centres.

They demanded separate counters for women, not just separate queues, additional counters at important centres like Anantapur and relaxation in the norm of seed supply only to the passbook holders.

It was practically very difficult for the aged farmers and employees working at far away places to take the delivery of seed personally, the CPI (M) leaders said.

The CPI (M) leaders suggested the officials to give village-wise schedule for supply of seed for preventing heavy rush and by giving publicity on the schedule in the villages concerned.

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