MLA climbs onto overhead tank to demand better deal for farmers

Nagpur, Dec 12 (UNI) A member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and his supporters today climbed onto an overhead drinking water reservoir here and at several other places in Vidarbha region to demand a better deal for Impoverished farmers.

Omprakash Kadu alias Bachchu, an independent elected from Achalpur in Amravati district, and his supporters climbed onto a reservoir this afternoon in Sakkardara area of the city and demanded, among other things, complete loan waiver for farmers, speedy completion of pending irrigation projects in Vidarbha and a compensation of Rs 5,000 per hectare for cotton cultivators.

Mr Kadu claimed that besides Nagpur, activists had staged a similar agitation at 300 places in Wardha, Yavatmal, Buldhana and Amravati districts to press for the demands.

He told UNI the agitation would end only after the government announced a time-bound programme in the Legislative Assembly to alleviate the suffering of farmers in the region.

The MLA said he had submitted a memorandum to Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil and Minister for Marketing Harshavardhan Patil spelling out his demands.

Mr Kadu and 30 others have been booked here for trespassing on the government property and violation of orders prohibiting the accumalation of five or more people Police Inspector Balkrishna Paunikar said.

The police have sealed entry to the reservoir premises. Fire tenders and ambulances are on stand-by.

Meanwhile, an activist participating in the agitation in village Bramhanwada in Chandur Bazaar tehsil in Amravati district fell down from an overhead reservoir and fractured his leg, police said.

The activist, Dnyaneshwar Solav (40), was brought to Nagpur for treatment.

Mr Kadu said women activists of his organisation 'Prahaar' would stage a road blockade agitation in Amravati district tomorrow to press for the demands of farmers.

Meanwhile, Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS) has extended its support to Mr Kadu's agitation.

VJAS has also claimed that six debt-ridden farmers ended their lives in Vidarbha yesterday. These included two each from Yavatmal and Chandrapur districts and one each from Akola and Amravati districts.

With this, the total number of farmers who had committed suicide in the region since June, 2005, has touched 1,206, including 593 since the announcement of the Prime Minister's relief package on July 1, the voluntary organisation said in a release here today.

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