DECLARE KOSALANCHAL DROUGHT AS NATIONAL CALAMITY’ Monday, 19 October 2015 | PNS | BALANGIR/JHARSUGUDA | in Bhubaneswar

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‘DECLARE KOSALANCHAL DROUGHT AS NATIONAL CALAMITY’

Monday, 19 October 2015 | PNS | BALANGIR/JHARSUGUDA |Bhubaneswar

Members of the Kosal State Coordination Committee (KSCC) led by Pramod Mishra staged a dharna in front of the district Collectorate on Saturday demanding declaration of this year’s drought in Kosalanchal as a National Calamity.

The committee members said the entire Kosalanchal region is facing a severe drought this year after 1996. Besides declaration of National Calamity, a special package of Rs25,000 crore should be declared to tackle the drought, said Mishra.

“Even though this region is a drought-prone, only two towns of Kosalanchal have been included in Amrut Yojana. Total seven towns of the Coastal Odisha have been included in the scheme. Hence, we demand all the districts of Kosalanchal be included in the Amrut Yojana,” said committee members Rabi Mishra and Gopalji Panigrahi.

Despite being the power producing regions, people the Kosalanchal region are facing power cuts and that too during this drought situation which would affect agriculture and other activities, said Dolamani Pradhan, another committee member, demanding total end to power cut in this region.

Similarly, hundreds of activists under the KSCC Jharsuguda unit also staged a dharna in front of the Jharsuguda Collectorate demanding that the entire Western Odisha be declared as drought area.

The activists lamented that as many as 11 farmers from Western Odisha districts reportedly have committed suicide during the last two months.

The agitators demanded that drought-hit farmers’ families be exempted from payment of electricity bill and compensation of Rs10 lakh provided to deceased farmers’ families.

Committee president Bunde Dhurua and leaders Narayan Mohapatra, Purno Naik and Surendra Sahu met the Collector and submitted a memorandum addressing to the Chief Minister.
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