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Naveen asks official to look into farmers’ suicide

BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik seems to be having little faith in the administration officials at various levels when it comes to probing the recent farmers’ suicides in different parts of the State.

Even after two incidents of farmers’ suicides were already probed by senior officials in two rounds in Sambalpur and Jharsuguda district, Mr. Patnaik on Saturday asked the State Agriculture Production Commissioner to conduct a fresh probe into those incidents.

The Deputy Director of Agriculture first probed into an incident of suicide by a farmer that took place in Khapsadea village of Sambalpur district on October 7 had faced the wrath of the Bharatiya Janata Party workers.

The BJP workers had blackened the face of the official for giving a report to the government on the incident without visiting the spot. Subsequently, Agriculture Minister Damodar Rout had directed the Revenue Divisional Commissioner (Northern Range) to probe into the same incidents of farmers’ suicides in Sambalpur and Jharsuguda.

The ruling Biju Janata Dal headed by the Chief Minister also sent a three-member team to probe into the deaths in the two districts in western part of the State.

The team submitted its report to Mr. Patnaik on Friday reportedly stating that crop loss and loan burden were the reasons behind the two farmer suicide incidents.At least six farmers have committed suicide allegedly due to crop loss and loan burden in different parts of the State this month. The latest incident was reported from Nawarangpur district a few days ago.

The District Collector of Nawarangpur who was asked to conduct an inquiry into the incident was yet to submit his report.

The Chief Minister was worried over the farmers’ suicides as the farmers in the western region of the State had started an agitation demanding proper compensation to the families of the farmers who committed suicide. Mr. Patnaik was also disturbed because several opposition parties had announced to launch state-wide agitations to highlight the government’s failure to protect the interests of the farmers.

Opposition Congress and BJP had held the government responsible for the problems facing the farmers.

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