JOIN USThe Somwarpet Block Congress has urged the state government to declare Somwarpet taluk as rain-hit taluk in the state.
By failing to include the taluk in the list of rain and flood-hit taluks in Karnataka, the government has done injustice to the people, they said.
Block Congress president B B Sathish said that heavy rain in the taluk had wreaked havoc. Coffee and pepper crops have been damaged on large scale.
The MLA is aware of the problems faced by the farmers. In spite of the losses incurred by the farmers, no steps have been taken to assess the damages, he said.
The Coffee Board officials and revenue officials are not working in favour of the farmers. They failed to conduct a survey to assess the damages, he alleged.
The villages situated on the foothills of Pushpagiri in Shanthalli hobli have received 150 to 200 inches of rainfall. The increase in the rainfall has resulted in the withering of coffee beans in Garvale, Soorlabbi, Kikkaralli, Kumbaragadige, Haraga, Kiragandoor, Takeri, Koothi, Kumaralli, Kothnalli and surrounding villages, said Sathish.
The rain has damaged about 80% of the pepper crops. If the government fails to include the taluk in the list of the rain-hit taluks, then the Congress workers will stage a protest in front of the DC's office, he warned.
Stating that there is no one to listen to the woes of the small growers, the Block Congress president said that the facilities from the government are availed by the large growers.