Farmers allege non-payment of compensation for crop loss

Two years after cyclone Phailin hit Odisha, several affected farmers of Ganjam have alleged they are yet to get compensation for crop loss.
Leaders of different farmer organisations alleged that around 50,000 farmers, mostly small and share-croppers, were yet to get relief.
Farmer organisations like Odisha Forum for Social Action, Rushikulya Raita Mahasabha and Odisha Chasi Surakshya Abhiyan have threatened to stage a dharna in front of the DRDA office at Chhatrapur in protest against "non-payment of compensation".
Almost all farmers were affected by Phailin, which hit Ganjam district on October 13, 2013 and the subsequent floods.
The government had announced to provide compensation to them, but no farmer has got the compensation, alleged secretary, Rushikulya Raita Mahasabha, Simanchal Nahak.

He said they had filed a PIL in the Orissa High Court.

"The district administration is not listening to our grievances," alleged convener of Chasi Surakshya Abhiyan, Rabi Rath.
However, the district administration dismissed the allegations. "We have disbursed compensation among 95 per cent of the affected farmers in the district," Additional District Magistrate (Revenue) Sitanshu Rout said.
"The farmers, who have not got the compensation, were not in their respective villages during disbursement of compensation. We have sought the list of farmers who have not got compensation," he said.
The government has sanctioned Rs 224 crore to the district for disbursement of compensation among the affected farmers, official sources said.