Compensation sought for damaged chilly crop

Anantapur: CPM central committee member V Srinivasulu has demanded payment of Rs 1 lakh compensation per acre for chilly farmers whose crop has been damaged due to drought conditions.

The CPM leader, who visited villages of Uravakonda mandal, interacted with farmers. He said that 40,000 acres of chilly crop was damaged in Uravakonda mandal and in Neeramatla village alone 1000 acres is damaged. A farmer Parvappa, who lost his 3.5 acres, has demanded that compensation should be paid to chilly farmers.

He criticised Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu for ignoring the woes of farmers in the state and busy cobbling up a third front to defeat the BJP. He termed the third front as a myth and called Naidu unreliable as he announced his plans to form a third front in 1998 and the very next day entered into an alliance with the BJP.

He said that no matter what, his party's stand of defeating the BJP at the Centre and the TDP in the state would not change. Rayalaseema northern secretary Rambhoopal, local leaders Ranga Reddy, Madhu and Chandrasekhar Reddy were also present.