Huge loss due to floods in South Dinajpur: State to compensate paddy farmers

BALURGHAT: South Dinajpur district Agriculture department has taken up an initiative to provide compensation to the paddy farmers following huge losses owing to flood and incessant rainfall that had affected the paddy plantations in the district before the Durga Puja. Officials claim that around 13,600 hectares of agricultural land used for paddy cultivation was damaged due to the flood and inundation.

After a survey and collection of data by the district agricultural department, the initiative to help the affected farmers has been taken up by the department. Recently Tangan, Punarbhava, and Atreyee River in the South Dinajpur district were in spate owing to heavy rains. Following the heavy rainfall, vast areas of agricultural land in the rural regions of this district were inundated. Many people were also displaced.

Incidentally, Aman paddy is cultivated in this season. Aman paddy was planted in at least 1.80 lakh hectares of land in this district. Most of the paddy fields were underwater during the heavy rains. As soon as the water level receded, the district Agriculture department was instructed by the state to access the damages and also to collect information on the quantum of damage in the district.

According to the information of the district Agriculture department, about 13,600 hectares of land where paddy was cultivated covering 211 villages of both Balurghat and Gangarampur subdivisions have been partly or fully damaged.

Partha Mukherjee, an official from the district Agriculture department said: “Kushmandi, Harirampur and Banshihari of Gangarampur subdivision are the three blocks where paddy plantation had been adversely affected. Besides, some areas of the Tapan and Balurghat blocks suffered a loss in paddy cultivation due to the same reason. This information was obtained through a survey.”

“In South Dinajpur, about 1.62 lakh farmers are enrolled under the Crop Insurance Scheme of the State government. Those affected farmers may get the insurance money if they apply. We will also send our report to the concerned District Magistrate on behalf of the Agriculture department. After verifying everything, the State government will decide on how to compensate the victims,” he added.