Maharashtra to seek central govt aid for rain-hit farmers: Minister

Maharashtra government will ask the Centre to provide compensation to farmers who have suffered crop damage and lost their source of livelihood due to rains and subsequent floods, a minister said

The Maharashtra government will

ask the Centre to provide compensation to farmers who have suffered crop damage and lost their source of livelihood due to heavy rains and subsequent floods in parts of the state, a minister said on Friday.

Relief and rehabilitation minister Vijay Wadettiwar said farmers, mostly in districts coming under the Pune division, have suffered huge crop damage in heavy rains on October 14 and 15 caused by a depression in the Bay of Bengal.

"I am going to ask the Union government to provide some compensation to farmers who have lost their livelihood.

"An assessment of damaged crop is going on. I have asked officials to speed up the damage assessment exercise," he said.

So far, 28 people have died in rain-related incidents in the Pune division, half of them in the worst-hit Solapur district, said an official.

Besides Solapur, the other flood-affected districts in western Maharashtra are Pune, Sangli and Satara.

"The heavy showers also took a toll on domestic animals. As many as 379 fully grown cattle and 134 smaller ones have died," he said.

The downpour has forced 21,292 people to move out of their homes. They can not return to their homes immediately because roads and houses are filled with mud and items carried by floodwaters, the official said.

The rains have also damaged 2,319 homes so far, he said.

"Primary reports suggest crops spread over 57,354 hectares have been damaged. These include sugarcane, soyabean, rice, lentils, pomegranate and cotton, among others, the official said.

Damage to crops in Konkan and Aurangabad divisions is still being assessed, he said, adding a comprehensive report will soon be submitted to the state government.