The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Living on the edge

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Sunday, Aug 02, 2009
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Living on the edge

R. Avadhani

SIDDIPET (Medak district): Ajay, Swapna and Raju are aged between18 months to five years. They are playing on the ground with one another, while many elderly people are attentively hearing the sorrow stories from the families of farmers’ who committed suicide.

These three children could not understand what it means of not having the father, the head of the family. Their mother Ramalakshmi of Kanagal village in Siddipet division on Saturday attended a meeting with a hope that she would get some financial assistance with the help of MLA T. Harish Rao and the officials. Ramalaksmi’s husband Agaiah, a farmer, committed suicide in 2007 and the family did not receive any compensation so far except peanuts.

Talla Narsavva of Peddamasanpally village has some different story to tell. Failed to get water even after digging four bore wells and burdened with debts, her husband Rajaiah committed suicide. “We are now working as daily wage labourers to eke a livelihood. Unless the government comes forward, we may not come out of the debt,” she said.

One after another, family of the farmers who committed suicide narrated their stories with wet eyes.

Helping hand

The Caring Citizens Collective (CCC), a voluntary organisation based at Hyderabad, had collected the list of farmers who committed suicide. Though it was submitted to the officials with the required list of documents, the officials failed to get them compensation. In one case, the application was rejected.

Moved with the plight of these families, Mr. Harish Rao promised to fight for them. Later a procession was taken out to the RDO office and memorandum was submitted. CCC representative Sajaya, Prof. Kodanda Ram, Prof. Rama Malkote, Federation of Farmers’ Association district president M. Hanumantha Reddy and A.V. Ravinder Reddy participated.

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