Govt failed in procurement of paddy, maize: BRS

Senior BRS leader Koppula Eashwar alleged that the Congress government failed in Yasangi crop procurement and staged a rasta roko in Dharmaram. He also demanded compensation for toddy tappers after a fire accident destroyed toddy trees spread across 11 acres

Karimnagar: Senior BRS leader and former minister Koppula Eashwar alleged that the State government has completely failed in the procurement of paddy, maize and other crops during the present Yasangi season.

Eashwar, along with party leaders and workers, staged a rasta roko on the Karimnagar-Rayapatnam main road at Dharmaram on Sunday in protest against the delay in paddy procurement.

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Vehicular traffic came to a halt for some time as BRS leaders staged a protest by placing paddy on the road.

Speaking on the occasion, he said that the previous BRS government led by former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao purchased every grain without causing trouble to farmers. However, the Congress government has utterly failed in procurement.

Though about 15 lakh metric tonnes of paddy was produced in the erstwhile Karimnagar district, not even 50 per cent of the crop had been procured so far.

Stating that seven to eight kg of excess paddy was being weighed for every quintal, he said farmers were suffering a loss of Rs 8,000 on each lorry load. While procurement was being delayed in Peddapalli district, injustice was being done to farmers due to excess weighing of paddy in Jagtial.

Local MLA and SC, ST Welfare Minister Adluri Laxman Kumar, who used to misguide farmers over small issues, had failed to continue the procurement process smoothly. The Minister lacks awareness about procurement, he alleged.

Later, Eashwar visited gutted toddy trees on the outskirts of Dharmaram. Toddy tappers suffered huge losses as the trees spread across 11 acres of land were gutted in a fire accident.

Demanding suitable compensation for toddy tappers, he urged the government to grow new trees in place of the old ones.