Titli farmers waiting for succour even after one year in Srikakulam

Srikakulam: Residents of three assembly segments Tekkali, Palasa and Itchapuram in Srikakulam district are still recalling the devastation caused by Titli cyclone.

Exactly one year ago, on October 11, the Titli cyclone hit the coast and caused enormous damage to coconut, cashew and mango plantations and houses. As per official date, 40,000 houses were damaged, cashew trees uprooted in 50,000 hectares and coconut trees were damaged in Uddanam area in an extent of 60,000 hectares.

Irrigation tanks, canals bunds and road network were also affected badly. Energy department also bear the brunt as more than one lakh poles are uprooted. At that time then Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu stayed in Palasa and supervised restoration works.

He assured Rs 2.50 lakh for construction of new houses who lost their houses. But this assurance was not yet fulfilled and the new government formed under the YSRCP Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy was not making any efforts in this regard.

Previous government assured to pay Rs 1,500 as compensation for loss of a coconut tree. But after assuming power, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy assured to enhance the compensation to Rs 3,000 per coconut tree and promised to pay Rs 50,000 for loss of cashew trees per hectare, Rs 25,000 for damage of paddy crop in one hectare.

But efforts have not been made in this regard till today. Payment of compensation was made to few numbers of farmers in these three segments. After inspection of damage across the three assembly segments, Chandrababu Naidu announced a special package for revival of all fields in these three assembly segments but not even a single step initiated till today.

"Even after one-year, payment of compensation is not yet cleared to us for loss of cashew and coconut trees," said Bhuvaneswara Prasad Panigrahi, Nagam Bhaskar Rao, Made Sharath Chandrudu and Dunna Gurumurthy farmers of Baruva, Sompeta, Seethapuram villages in Itchapuram and Palasa segments.

When The Hans India contacted District Collector J Nivas in this regard, he said "We are clearing payment of compensation to all farmers who lost their crops."