Govt,Oppn in denial mode as eastern UP stares at drought

Officially,however,there is no drought-like situation anywhere in Uttar Pradesh. Agriculture Minister Naseemuddin Siddiqui claimed in the state Assembly on August 11 that rainfall across the state was normal and over 90 per cent paddy had been sown by August 9. Hence,there was no cause for concern. In the Upper House of the state Legislature,Panchayati Raj Minister Swami Prasad Maurya made similar claims that over 90 per cent of the paddy had been sown and no drought-like situation reported from any part of the state.

In keeping with the ministers’ claims,Relief Commissioner K K Sinha,who is also the Principal Secretary of the Revenue department,said,“There is no report of drought or drought-like situation from any part of the state and as far as eastern UP is concerned so far the reports available with us suggest that the paddy plantation is normal.” Added P R Mishra,District Magistrate of Siddarth Nagar district under Basti division,“There is some deficiency in rainfall in my district but reports of drought are baseless. The government had sought report on rainfall and paddy plantation position in the district.”

“Whatever the government may claim,the situation in eastern UP is a cause of concern. The farmers who planted the paddy by using private tube-well and pump sets will be under debt as the paddy is either drying or being destroyed by diseases like khaira and wilting,” noted a bureaucrat,who has substantial land holding in an eastern Uttar Pradesh district.

The brief monsoon session of the UP Legislature commenced on August 6 and concluded on August 13. During the six sittings of the Assembly,the issue of drought came up for brief discussion only during the question hour. The Opposition created ruckus in both the Houses of the state Legislature during zero hour and stalled the proceedings of the House on several issues — from religious conversion to law and order — but none of the Opposition parties deemed it fit to raise the issue of drought.

Dr Radha Mohan Agarwal,the BJP MLA from Gorakhpur,while admitting the failure of his party to raise the issue in the Assembly,questioned the state government’s claim of a normal monsoon. “The government makes district-wise assessment of the monsoon. It should be tehsil-wise (sub division-wise). In Gorakhpur district,for instance,rainfall in Sadar and Chauri Chaura tehsil is normal while the rest of the district is dry.” Demanding that entire eastern UP be declared drought-hit,he said,“In Bihar all the 38 districts,in Jharkhand 12 districts and eight districts in West Bengal have been declared as drought-hit. When this is the situation in eastern India how can the monsoon be normal in eastern UP,which is adjoining north Bihar?”

Besides the administration’s lack of concern for the drought and the apathy of the political parties,it’s perhaps too late in the day for the government to provide any substantive relief to the farmers. “It can be routine things like suspending the recovery of the bank loans,dues like the land revenue,canal and tube-well charges and power dues,” said an official in the state Agriculture department.

But contrary to his claims,Ambika Chowdhary,Samajwadi Party MLA from Ballia,said,“In my district,where the rainfall deficiency is 63 per cent,far from providing any relief to the farmers,the administration has launched an intense drive for the recovery of bank loans and other dues.”