M Sambasiva Rao | The Hindu | 8 December 2023
The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government in Andhra Pradesh has miserably failed in preventing the large-scale destruction of standing crops due to cyclone Michaung, alleges Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national president and former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.
Addressing a gathering during his visit to the cyclone-affected areas in Tenali Assembly constituency in Guntur district on December 8 (Friday), Mr. Naidu observed that the havoc wreaked by the cyclone, particularly the damage caused to the standing crops, far exceeded the previous calamities.
“Farmers have incurred huge loss and tenant farmers are in dire straits. Ready-to-harvest crops have been damaged. When the government failed to provide assured water for irrigation despite prevailing drought conditions, the farmers spent their own funds to ensure supply of water to crops through tankers. All their efforts have gone down the drain as 90% of the crops suffered extensive damage,” Mr. Naidu said.
“It’s a complete failure of disaster management. The government has failed to take adequate precautionary measures to mitigate the loss despite having prior information on the path of the cyclone and its impending severity,” the former Chief Minster alleged.
Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy had neglected the upkeep of the drainage system in the last more than four years, and it resulted in the drainage water entering the fields and inundating standing crops, he said.
Lashing out the State government for not implementing the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana that would have ensured compensation for crop damages to the farmers, Mr. Naidu said only 16 farmers with a land holding of 0.4 hectares were receiving the benefit as of now.
Mr. Naidu also slammed Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy for visiting the cyclone-affected areas only after his schedule was finalised. Stating that the TDP government had increased the compensation to be paid to farmers to ₹20,000 per acre from ₹10,000 prevailing earlier, the former Chief Minister said the YSRCP government failed to increase it further.
‘TS verdict will repeat in A.P. too’
Predicting a repeat of the Telangana people’s verdict in Andhra Pradesh too in about three months time, Mr. Naidu reiterated that he had committed no wrong in the 45 years of his political career. “I was imprisoned in a false case only to intimidate those questioning the government’s policies and actions. It is the people’s right to raise their voice against injustice,” he said, and exhorted the people to join him in mounting pressure on the government.
