Hailstorm driving farmers to suicide: PCC chief

Jaipur, Mar 13 (UNI) Rajasthan Pradesh Congress president BD Kalla said hailstorms leading to crop loss were driving the farmers of the state to suicide with two attempts reported today itself.

Addressing a press conference here after visting some of the villages affected by yesterday's hailstorm, Dr Kalla said in some districts there were reports of farmers attemtpting suicide.

''Two farmers in Barmer district attempted suicide today while another one in Jaipur district has been admitted in the hospital following the news of crop loss,'' he said.

One farmer at Kundu village and Gangasara village in Barmer district attempted suicide today while another farmer Rameshwar Chaudhary of Sudarshanpura in Amer tehsil in Jaipur has been admiited in hopsital after he complined of uneasiness following the news of his crops being damaged.

Dr Kalla said the unseasonal hailstrom hit the north western districts of the state about a month back but alleged that government did not come to the rescue of the beleagured farmers.

Terming the situation ''grave,'' he said that ''farmers in 20 districts have were feeling the pain of their mature crops being crushed by the hailstorms and needed immediate relief''. Though the government could not fully compensate the loss at least the farmers should be given the cost of their inputs,'' he said.

Calling yesterdays hailstorm ''unprecedented in the history of the state,'' he asked the government to declare a compsensation of Rs 10,000 per hectre as the farmers lost their ripe crops.

He also demanded a compensation of Rs 50,000 each to the farmers who were injured in police lathicharge and firing Dehera check post in Bharatpur distrcit after farmers blockaded the national highway demanding compensation for their destroyed crops.

UNI