Central team visits drought-hit areas of Kalahandi
A four-member central team Thursday visited drought-affected areas in Orissa’s backward Kalahandi district to assess the situation.
The team conducted field surveys in Bhatipada, Kodobhata, Kuliapali, Mahaling, Makraguda and Bordi villages under Kuhura and Mahaling gram panchayats of Golamunda block and interacted with farmers about their problems.
In Bhatipada, villagers alleged distress condition due to heavy crop loss and reported that under the prevailing situation more than 70 per cent of the population have already migrated, while at Mahaling the villagers displayed the damaged dry crop.
In Kodobhata village the team visited the damaged paddy fields.
In most parts farmers could not harvest paddy and the dry plants bore testimony the plight of the farmers.
As the land lacked moisture, Rabi crop harvesting could not be taken up and the entire region had a barren look.
The team also visited an Anganwadi centre at Seinpur and work of NREGA project at Sapsilet under Bhawanipatna block.
Kalahandi District Collector R S Gopalan, revenue officials and agriculture officials accompanied the team.