Gowda to tour Hassan dist, hear grievances

Last date extended for Nafed Centre; will function for two more weeks

Former prime minister H D Deve Gowda flayed the sub-committee for submitting a faulty report on the coconut loss in the district.

Addressing a press meet in Hassan on Monday, Gowda said that the sub-committee had failed to take out an extensive tour of the district to assess the losses and had submitted a report citing a loss of only Rs 380 crore. He has also written a letter to the Chief Minister in this regard, he added.

Explaining further, Gowda said that he had written a letter to Union Minister Sharath Pawar on the status of the farmers of the district. Pawar responded within 48 hours and had also sent a Central team to study the situation. The team had estimated the loss at Rs 1,980 crore.

The farmers of the State had been affected due to flood and drought. The farmers of the district were worried due to insufficient rains, which had affected sowing activities.
Gowda also said that he would form a team of party workers, tour across the district and prepare a report. He would also travel across the district and hear public grievances.

Nafed centre

The Nafed centre which was opened to procure copras at a minimum support price was supposed to stop procurement on Monday.

Gowda said that he had written to Pawar requesting him to extend the sale for two more weeks. Accordingly, Pawar has directed that the last date would be extended by two weeks and the farmers should make avail of the opportunity, he said.

Office-bearers

The new office-bearers for all the district units will be appointed within three weeks, Gowda said. MLAs H S Prakash, C N Balakrishna, MLC Patel Shivaram and others were present.