Show cause notice served on farmer for seeking compensation

 The farmer concerned is K Ramakrishna from Lingapura village in N R Pura taluk who had grown plantain and rubber over 4 acre land. Owing to the heavy rains that lashed over the region last year, he lost the plantain crop and hence he had sent an application to the revenue department seeking compensation along with photographs of the destroyed plantation.

Due to some technical error, the photograph had a print on the photo , which read August 2007 and based on this the revenue department officials filed a criminal case against Ramakrishna alleging him of trying to eke out compensation from the government by giving false information. The officials did not even bother inspecting the spot. Now Ramakrishna has received a show cause notice asking him why a criminal case should not be filed against him.

“If the officials had visited the plantation they could have atleast got a picture of the condition here. I am illiterate and for some technical mistake, which I fail to understand, I am to pay a very heavy price. I had not planted plantains in 2007. Is it a mistake to ask for compensation on genuine grounds,” asks Ramakrishna.

The negligent behaviour of revenue officials who had taken action against Ramakrishna without making an effort to know the truth has caused anger in the farming community in the region. The farmers in the region have demanded that Government must take action against such irresponsible farmers.