Asom waive off land revenue for drought

Guwahati, Aug 16: The Asom government today announced waiving of land revenues for all farmers who have lost their crop in the unprecedented drought rpt drought that has widely affected the state.

''We have decided to waive the land revenue for the year and a series of emergency measures have been initiated which included shallow tubes wells for irrigation,'' said Asom Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi here today.

Like last 50 years, they were ready for the annual flood with laid down flood manual and stock reserve.

''But this time the whole situation is completely different. This is unprecedented. I have asked the officers to expand the irrigation network in the state for a long term solution,'' he said.

A severe drought-like situation has affected 14 districts of Assam with the rain-fed paddy fields going dry due to deficit in monsoon rains and most of the irrigation system lying waste in the affected districts.

Though the Agriculture Department has estimated the assistance required for the affected farmers at Rs 92 crore, the Revenue Department has so far released only Rs 70 lakh.

The Chief Minister said that Sali crop of 3 lakh hectare have been damaged by the drought. Agriculture Minister Pramila Rani Brahma informed newspersons in the day the department has released Rs 5 lakh to each of the affected districts. As an immediate measure, each affected farmer would be given 10 litres of diesel for using shallow tube wells and lift irrigation pumps to irrigate their dry paddy fields.

The Minister appealed to all the 126 legislators and the MPs from the state to provide financial assistance to the affected farmers from their Local Area Development Fund.

Ms Brahma, however, said since the weather scientists have described it as a drought-like situation and not drought, the state had not been able to move the Centre to provide relief to the affected farmers.

''In the coming weeks, we expect the outbreak of monsoon in the mainland and its movement to the foothills of the Himalayas. So we expect rainfall in the coming one or two weeks in the Northeast,'' said DDGM, Guwahati Meteorological Centre D Chakrabarti.

''Whatever deficiency we have noticed is not a new thing its been continuing for the last hundred years. This fluctuation is what is called the inter-annual variability of monsoon,'' Mr Chakrabarti added.

Official sources said at least sixteen districts of Lower and middle Asom and entire North belt of the Brahmaputra, besides Barak valley, are experiencing drought-like situation due to absent of monsoon rainfalls.

The affected districts are Dhubri, Goalpara, Bongaigaon, Nalbari, Darrang, Sonitpur, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Karimganj, Cachar, Kokrajhar, Kamrup, Barpeta, Nagaon, Hailakandi and Morigaon.

'' The government is taking measures on a war footing to activate about two lakhs of shallow tubewells and Low Lift Pumps in these districts for providing necessary water to the cultivators,'' Ms Brahma said.

UNI