Agri dept seeks reports to tackle drought-like situation

A senior official of the department on Thursday said that letters seeking report on the present situation were sent to the officials on May 9. The District Magistrates were also being informed and they will be supervising the survey that need to be conducted to prepare reports of their respective districts.

The report will contain information about the present state of the agricultural production, details of the area where yielding of crops was affected due to drought, the quantum of loss incurred by farmers and number of farmers who have incurred losses. A farmer is entitled to get compensation if 33 per cent of the yield of his agricultural land is damaged.

The state agriculture department will hold a meeting within the next two to three days and reports from all the districts will reach Nabanna by then. The meeting will be presided by the state agriculture minister, Purnendu Bose. 

Reports from some of the districts including that of North 24-Parganas have reached the table of a senior official of agriculture department in the state secretariat. In the report the district officials have mentioned that farming in some pockets of the district was also getting affected. Based on the report, the state government will decide the amount of the financial assistance that would be asked from the Centre.

There is drought like situation in four districts of Purulia, Bankura, West Midnapore and Burdwan. According to an official of the agriculture department, Purulia is the worst affected district where almost the entire district is affected.

“Watch was kept on the situation of Purulia for the past three months and necessary assistance was provided to the affected farmers in the district,” the official said.

The state Panchayat and Rural Development department minister Subrata Mukherjee presided over a high level meeting to take a stock of the situation. The meeting was attended by the Sabhadipatis of the four districts and senior officials. Supply of drinking water in 40 blocks in these districts has come up as a major problem. 

Around 13 lakh pouches containing 500 ml water each were already sent to the districts. The department had decided to give Rs 75 lakh to each of the affected districts to repair tube wells and to take other necessary steps to ensure supply of drinking water to the people residing in these areas.