In a press statement, the farmers’ organisation said “large-scale deaths due to thunderstorms and heavy rainfall have been reported from Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Haryana and other states. At least 54 and 24 people died in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra respectively, with some deaths reported from Hisar in Haryana and Delhi-NCR as well.”

It said the deaths have been due to lightning strikes, accidental flooding, and collapse of trees, streetlights and even buildings.

“Around 55 animals, many of them livestock, were reported to have been killed by lightning in different districts of Maharashtra. Mango orchards in the Lucknow-Unnao belt are also reported to be severely damaged. Maharashtra has been rocked by completely unseasonal rains since the second week of May, and horticultural and late Rabi crops have suffered extensive damage across ten districts.”

Appealing to the Centre and state government to take stock of the damages and compensated the farmers and the affected families, the AIKS flagged of more possible damages as weather forecasts were predicting continued heavy rainfall and thunderstorms over the weekend across the country.

Read the full statement below:

Press Statement

More than 80 People Killed in Unseasonal Heavy Rainfall

Massive Damage to Crops and Orchards

AIKS Demands Adequate Ex-Gratia and Compensation to Victims

AIKS views the extreme weather situation developing around the country with grave concern. Large-scale deaths due to thunderstorms and heavy rainfall have been reported from Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Haryana and other states. At least 54 and 24 people died in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra respectively, with some deaths reported from Hisar in Haryana and Delhi-NCR as well.

Deaths have been reported from lightning strikes, accidental flooding, and collapse of trees, streetlights and even buildings. Around 55 animals, many of them livestock, were reported to have been killed by lightning in different districts of Maharashtra. Mango orchards in the Lucknow-Unnao belt are also reported to be severely damaged. Maharashtra has been rocked by completely unseasonal rains since the second week of May, and horticultural and late Rabi crops have suffered extensive damage across ten districts.

Weather forecasts were predicting continued heavy rainfall and thunderstorms over the weekend across the country.

Extreme-weather events have become more common in India over the last few years. A 2023 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) had warned that the frequency of such short-duration disturbances, like thunderstorms, will increase in South Asia, leading to heavier rainfall. In urban areas, given that over the last century most of the natural water bodies like ponds and lakes have been lost, and replaced by unplanned construction, flooding has become a recurrent theme in the run up to the monsoon season. Despite these freak-incidents every year, governments are not acting sufficiently to develop flood-resistant infrastructure that protects the urban poor.

AIKS demands an adequate ex-gratia to the families of the deceased be released by the governments in the affected states. Adequate compensation must also be given to the farmers who have lost their standing crops, fruit orchards and livestock. These weather disturbances are a forewarning of further loss of life and property in the coming days if the governments, both at the level of state and Centre, do not act.

Sd/-

Ashok Dhawale, President

Vijoo Krishnan, General Secretary

Courtesy: Newsclick

The post Unseasonal Rains: Over 80 Dead, Huge Damage to Crops, Orchards; AIKS Demands Ex-Gratia appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Lucknow: Police in Amroha in Uttar Pradesh have lodged an FIR against 16 named and 20 unidentified persons for allegedly herding stray cattle inside a government primary school after allegedly breaking open the lock on the school’s gate in Karan Khal village in Hasanpur police station area January 8 morning.

By the time a team of the district administration and police reached the school on January 9, the animals had been led out of the school premises.

Following an inquiry, an FIR was lodged under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, Station House Officer of Hasanpur police station, Rajendra Singh Pundir, told reporters. No one has been arrested so far.

The police officer said that on getting information, he, along with the Sub-Divisional Magistrate, went to the school, but the animals had been removed by then. “We conducted an inquiry, during which we recorded the statements of several local residents. After the allegations were found true, we decided to lodge an FIR in the matter because despite warning, the villagers herded stray animals inside the school premises,” he said, alleging that the animals had been brought from the village and neighbouring areas to “disturb the atmosphere” of the district.

However, the have farmers alleged that the authorities have paid no attention to the issue of stray cattle despite repeated complaints.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has reportedly directed officials that stern action be taken against those who had locked up the animals in a government building, as well as against owners of the cattle.

Commenting over the police action against farmers, Rampal Singh, Bharatiya Kisan Union district president in Amroha, told NewsClick: “The administration is harassing farmers by misusing power. Farmers have been dying due to cold while guarding their crops from stray cattle at night. On the other side, if they survive the cold wave, the administration is taking legal action against them. If this continues, every farmer of the state will be in jail because we are all suffering due to the stray cattle menace. When farmers do not get the input cost from farming, they have no option other than locking the animals, as they are completely destroying crops.”

At least four farmers, who were staying overnight in fields to guard their crops against stray cattle have allegedly died of cold in Uttar Pradesh. A deceased farmer’s family members who NewsClick spoke to, claimed there was no arrangement for stray cattle in their respective areas and that farmers spend nights in makeshift huts to keep an eye on stray cattle, with some losing their lives in the biting cold.

Meanwhile, tired of stray cattle destroying their crops, farmers in Sambhal district blocked the Meerut-Badaun highway near Dhanipur for 30 minutes. The local police have registered a case against at least 13 named and 50 unknown for blocking the highway and creating an atmosphere of chaos.

The farmers shouted slogans against the administration, saying that the government had promised to end the stray cattle menace, but nothing happened. The cattle were damaging their crops and some had even attacked villagers, they added.

“Poor farmers are forced to remain on guard all through the night or risk losing their food grain, which is meant for their own subsistence. Farmers do not have any option other than locking them in school or blocking highways to show their resistance as farming is our only means for survival,” said a BKU leader.

Pointing out the input costs of farmers, All India Kisan Sabha leader Brijlal Yadav told NewsClick that “A marginal farmer spends Rs 8,000-17,000 on a crop cycle and recovers nothing, not even the input cost. Farming has turned into a loss-making business due to the stray cattle menace, unseasonal rains and faulty policies of the government, forcing farmers to shift into other fields.”

Ever since BJP leader Adityanath has come to power, protection of cows has been a priority of the UP government, he added.

The Adityanath government imposed a cow cess on the sale of items related to the excise department, such as alcohol, to fund the maintenance of cow shelters. A cess of 0.5% was levied on toll tax collected by government agencies. Besides, the mandi cess was also increased from 1% to 2%.

Meanwhile, the stray cattle menace is giving sleepless nights to farmers in Uttar Pradesh and despite the Adityanath government directing all District Magistrates to rehabilitate abandoned cows in shelters and also announced a budgetary corpus for their protection, the move has failed miserably on the ground – leaving farmers to bear the brunt of the menace.

Translated by Abdul Alim Jafri

Courtesy : newsclick.in

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Delhi’s Food & Civil Supplies Minister Imran Hussain has ordered a “crackdown against Tomatoes hoarders”. Nope, that is not an error, the fruit/ vegetable, much loved by cooks and consumers has not become the new onion, as in the centre of the political discourse around rising vegetable prices this season. It is said to be retailing at around or over Rs 150 for a kilogram in some parts of the country and in Delhi is selling around Rs 100.

Hussain has also directed the Food and Civil Supplies Department to send a daily inspection report after a meeting was held yesterday after the “sudden and undue increase in the retail prices of tomato in the markets of Delhi,” and was attended by the Delhi’s Commissioner, Food and Civil Supplies (CFS), Joint Commissioner and senior officers of the intelligence team of Food and Civil Supplies Department. It also reviewed the “price trend of onion, potato and other essential commodities”. The minister directed that “intelligence teams should also gather information about instances of hoarding and/ or black marketing of tomatoes, if any, so that the concerned departments could initiate necessary action against them under the Essential Commodity Act.”

According to a report in India Today, this “price rise has been greater in southern states, where vegetable prices have gone up by an average of 40 per cent.” This reason is reportedly “extensive crop damage caused by the recent rains.” Tomato and other vegetable prices are soaring in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, even Uttar Pradesh in the North. 

The other reason is the surge in fuel prices. According to a report in Livemint, the rise in fuel costs “directly impacts the price of vegetables and prices of vegetables, especially tomato and okra, have witnessed a sharp rise in the past one month in the wholesale and retail markets here.” Adil Ahmad Khan, chairman of the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) of Azadpur Mandi, told the media, “The price of almost all green vegetables is more than what it was in the previous month. Tomato that was selling for Rs 33.5 per kg last month is now selling at  ₹44.25, while the price of okra has increased to Rs 35 per kg from Rs 15 last month.” 

Tomato, the new yardstick was retailing at nearly Rs 160 per kilo in Chennai, followed by Rs 130 per kilo in parts of Andhra Pradesh and in the range of Rs 90-120 in Karnataka. In Maharashtra, including Mumbai, the price of tomato has jumped sharply to Rs 100 per kilo, stated news reports.
 

On Wednesday, petrol in Delhi cost Rs 103.97 per litre, and diesel cost Rs 86.67 per litre. The report quoted retail prices “between Rs 90 to Rs 108, and Rs100 to Rs 120 for one kg of tomato and okra, respectively.” According to SP Gupta, former APMC chairman of Ghazipur Mandi, the skyrocketing vegetable prices may only ease with the arrival of new crops in the market. “There was little to no supply from neighbouring cities like Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.The tomato that we are getting is coming from as far as Shivpruri in Madhya Pradesh or Shimla. In fact, our supply from Bangalore is also not coming through,” he was quoted in the news report.
 

According to India today, data from the Department of Consumer Affairs suggests that “the all-India average monthly price of potato is at a 10-month high and onion price is at a nine-month high.” It warns that the price of staple vegetables like tomato, onions and potatoes will increase further due to elevated diesel prices.

The petrol prices per litre breached the century mark per litre across many metros in August. It was not the fuel price alone that is burning a hole in the pockets of common citizens. In the past year and a half, prices of several essential items have shot up drastically. Grocery store owners said their hands were tied because they were having to buy stuff from wholesalers and distributors at a much higher rate than before, suggesting hoarding. Added to this, the slowing down of the economy, unemployment, job cuts, salary cuts & the Covid-19 pandemic all make it a bitter pill to swallow for the citizen. 

Meanwhile, in Tamil Nadu, the State Cooperative Department has announced that it will procure vegetables and sell them in cooperative stores at an affordable price. Cooperative Minister I Periyasamy told the media that in these stores, “tomatoes will be sold at Rs 85-100 per kg, compared to Rs 110-130 in the open market”. The subsidised vegetables will be sold in Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchy, Salem, and Vellore, among other districts. 

Related:

Rising fuel prices: Gov’t tries to obfuscate the truth… again! 
India’s dairy farmers face another harsh summer – but not because of the heat

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