Uttam asks Congmen to instill hope in hailstorm-hit farmers

​Hyderabad: Telangana Congress president N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Friday called upon the party rank and file to be of help to the farmers who have suffered crop losses due to hailstorm in the state in the past two days.  In a press release he said that the party leaders should visit the fields and should assess the damage to the crops. He told them to instill confidence among the farmers and their families who sustained crop losses and lives. 

He said that due to the hailstorms paddy crop and mango orchards have suffered damage. As many as 10 farmers have died due to lightning. In several parts of the state trees were uprooted, electric polls have fallen on the ground, houses and huts have been damaged. 

He said that in a span of week the hailstorm caused devastation in the state for two times. Farmers were in deep agony due to crop loss as they wanted to sell it which was raised with lot of strain and expenditure. Uttam Kumar Reddy demanded the government to purchase the damaged grain and should fix prices for the crop which lost quality. 

The government should send officials to the villages to assess the damage taken place and to give a report to the Centre in this regard. He said that farmers of mango orchards have suffered heavily and government should come to their rescue. Government should protect the families of the farmers who died due to lightning. Congress leaders should instill confidence among them. 

Ponguleti demands compensation 
In a statement, deputy floor leader of the Congress in Legislative Council Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy demanded the government to come to the rescue of the farmers who suffered crop losses due to hailstorm in Khammam and Kothagudem districts. 

He said that the grain being taken to the markets have soaked in the rain water. The farm produce was stranded in the market yards due to the government’s failure in purchasing them at minimum support price. He wanted the Chief Minister to constitute a task force with officials to check the damage caused to the crops. The government should pay compensation to the families of the farmers who lost their lives due to lightning.