Kerala - Alappuzha   

Compensation for farm labourers

ALAPPUZHA: The Alappuzha district administration is working out a compensation package for farm labourers who suffered losses due to the untimely summer rain that wreaked havoc in Kuttanad.

District Collector V.K. Balakrishnan said here on Wednesday that several labourers too had suffered losses due to the rain. The losses were being calculated on two aspects — one for the damaged paddy already harvested and the other for the paddy that could not be harvested because of the rain. Labourers had lost their rightful wages in both these ways and the figures would be collected from each Padasekharam where labourers were engaged and where they would have been engaged for the ha rvest. The package would be prepared shortly and submitted to the government for approval, Mr. Balakrishan said.

In the meanwhile, 25 squads, each led by an agriculture officer and comprising officials from both the Agriculture Department and the Revenue Department, continued visits to each Padasekharam to assess the exact extent of damage.

The ongoing assessment, Mr. Balakrishnan said, was not superficial with officials walking the entire length of each Padasekharam without holidays for the next four days until a comprehensive report was ready for submission to the government, most probably by Monday.

The Agriculture Department has estimated a crop loss of Rs.1.23 crore in the district during the ongoing summer rain. Principal Agriculture Officer P.S. Soman said that crops in 670.92 hectares were lost. Of this, a major area was paddy cultivation. He said that 426 farmers lost their crop in the rain. The Centre had allotted an amount of Rs.16.78 lakh and the State government an amount of Rs.13.37 lakh as compensation to farmers whose crops were lost.

The State unit of the CPI-led All India Kisan Sabha has sought Central assistance for the paddy growers who had suffered heavy crop loss. Kisan Sabha State president V. Chamunny and secretary Sathyan Mokeri told a news conference here on Wednesday that the steps taken by the State government to mitigate the difficulties of the farmers were laudable.

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