Paddy soaks in rain water in Karimnagar

Heavy rains in Karimnagar Tuesday night soaked hundreds of quintals of paddy stored in open procurement centres. Farmers, angered by delayed government purchases, demanded immediate procurement of wet and discolored stocks without conditions

Karimnagar: Unseasonal rain coupled with strong winds wreaked havoc in several parts of the erstwhile Karimnagar district on Tuesday night. While paddy stored in procurement centres was soaked in rainwater, trees and electric poles were uprooted due to strong winds, besides the collapse of houses. Power supply was disrupted in many places as trees, flexies and hoardings fell on electric wires.

There was no power supply in Karimnagar town during the night as trees and flexies fell on electric wires in many places in the town. Electricity department staff restored power supply at 3 am after clearing branches of trees and flexies. While a house collapsed in Vadderacolony of Bommakal village, two houses were damaged in Chimalakuntapalli of Ganneruvaram mandal. A granite machine was damaged after the steel-roofed shed of Laxmi Sree Granites collapsed in Bavupet of Kothapalli mandal.

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Paddy stocked in Karimnagar agriculture market yard as well as procurement centres in Karimnagar rural and Kothapalli mandals was soaked in rainwater. Local MLA Gangula Kamalakar, along with Civil Supplies Department officials, visited paddy procurement centres in Karimnagar rural and Kothapalli mandals and examined the soaked crop.

Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar, along with Mayor Kolagani Srinivas, visited the collapsed house in Bommakal. The Union Minister also examined soaked paddy in the village.

During his visit to PPCs, MLA Kamalakar interacted with farmers and tried to instil confidence among them by promising to take steps to shift the paddy to rice mills and godowns immediately. He also spoke to the Additional Collector over the phone. Assuring arrangements of tractors and hamalies, he asked officials to take steps to shift the paddy to godowns immediately since farmers would suffer more losses if the area witnessed rainfall again in the coming days.

Otherwise, they would stage a dharna in front of the offices of the Collector and Additional Collector by placing soaked paddy there, he warned. Speaking on the occasion, the MLA said that since there was a possibility of unseasonal rains after May 5, they had already warned the government to complete the procurement process well in advance. Despite their warning, the government failed to do so. So far, not more than 50 per cent procurement had been completed in the district. Farmers were facing hardships due to the negligence of the government.

Various problems such as shortages of gunny bags, hamalies, vehicles and thread were developing in PPC centres as the government lacked control over the process. In view of the shortage of vehicles and hamalies, they arranged tractors and deployed farmers to weigh the paddy. It was the responsibility of officials to unload the crop at rice mills. If millers refused to unload it, the crop should be shifted to AMC and Rukmapur godowns.

The government should complete the process within two days. Otherwise, they would stage protest demonstrations by placing soaked paddy in front of the offices of the Collector and Additional Collector. Since the government’s negligence was the reason for the present situation, the government should purchase sprouted and discoloured paddy.