Mild tension at Enumamula as market closes over flooding chilli stocks

​Warangal Urban: Mild tension prevailed at Enumamula Agriculture Market in Warangal on Wednesday with farmers and TDP leaders staging protest over closure of chilli yard till next Monday.

The market officials have on Tuesday announced that the chilli yard would be closed in view of large quantities of chilli arrivals at the market.

On Monday, nearly 1.32 lakh bags of chilli arrived at the market which led to shortage of space for storing the produce at the market and at cold storages.

In a bid to clear the stock, the market officials decided to stop the arrivals. According to the officials as on Wednesday there were nearly 70,000 chilli bags were stocked at the yard and it needs three days to clear the stock.

The TDP leaders R Prakash Reddy, Seetakka and V Narender Reddy accompanied by large number of the party workers arrived at the market and staged dharna in front of the market office.

They alleged that Marketing Minister T Harish Rao, Deputy Chief Minister Kadiyam Srihari, Tribal Minister A Chandulal, who were frequenting Prakashreddypet, the venue for TRS April 27 public meeting, were not finding time to visit the market.

Agriculture Minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy was not bothered to address the issue of farmers who were in distress at the steep fall in prices of chilli, red gram, turmeric and other produces.

“The TRS leaders are only interested in their party plenary and public meeting, but not in farmers’ welfare,” they complained.

The police arrested the TDP leaders and others and released later. The police have also detained some farmers who tried to set chilli bags on fire at the market yard.