CM Siddaramaiah's appeal to farmers: Don’t end life

BENGALURU: In an effort to stop farmers from committing suicide, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday made a fervent appeal to members of the farming community not to end their lives during Dil ki baat, a programme broadcast by All India Radio (AIR).

The Chief Minister’s maiden address on radio was broadcast simultaneously by AIR stations across the state. In his address, he assured farmers complete support from the state government and immediate action against private money lenders while assuring that he would soon visit the families of those who committed suicide to offer condolences.

“My government has ordered the district police to arrest the money lenders who are charging exorbitant rates of interests on loans borrowed by farmers. Since I am busy attending the session (legislature), I am not able to visit the homes of dead farmers. Very soon, I will visit their houses console the families,” he added.

Mr Siddaramaiah appealed to leaders of Opposition parties not to use such a sensitive issue as suicide by farmers for political gain. “It is not the time to instigate farmers. We should not create a situation which results in farmers losing their confidence,” he added.

Explaining measures initiated by the state government ever since farmers started ending their lives, he said the government has given ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakhs each to families of these farmers. And in order to crackdown on money lenders who exploit farmers for not paying their dues and to monitor the situation, the government has constituted district-level committees under the chairmanship of deputy commissioners, he added.

3 more farmers commit suicide in Tumakuru

Three more farmers in debt and distress committed suicide in Tumakuru district on Saturday. The victims have been identified as Halappa, 55, Vedamurthy, 34, and Kumaraswamy, 53.

Halapa committed suicide at Nandihalli in Tumakuru taluk after he failed to get compensation from Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) which acquired his 1.5 acre land.

He was in debt as he borrowed Rs 3 lakhs from private money lenders to perform the wedding of his four daughters. While money lenders were demanding repayment of loan, KIADB did not release the compensation amount, forcing him to end his life.

In another incident, Vedamurthy of Kone Madanahalli, Gubbi taluk of Tumakuru district, too, committed suicide after he lost areca nut and banana crops.

He had borrowed crop loans from two banks but the crops failed because of shortage of water. The banks served notice on him for repayment of loans. Depressed that he could not repay the amount, he ended his life.

In the third case, Kumaraswamy of Kasaba Hobli in Sira taluk, consumed poison as he could not repay loans of Rs 5 lakhs borrowed from a public sector bank and self-help groups. District in-charge minister T.B. Jayachandra announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakhs each to the kin of these farmers.

Mulberry farmer drinks poison

The fertile district of Mandya, which has turned killing fields for sugarcane growers, witnessed yet another suicide—this time of a 55-year-old farmer who lost his mulberry crop—on Saturday. Huchchegowda gulped down poison in his farm in Bannangaadi, a village in Pandavpura taluk, Mandya district, in KRS police station limits.

According to a complaint lodged by his son Jagdish Kumar, the family owned 2.5 acres of land, and was in trouble as all four borewells failed to yield water. The farmer had borrowed Rs 3 lakh to Rs 4 lakh as personal loan, and took the extreme step when he could not repay the amount.

He was missing from his house this morning. Farmers of neighbouring fields saw his body in the farm and informed his family, according to police.

In another gut-wrenching incident in Varkodu, a village in Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s constituency, Varuna, in Mysuru taluk, Mahadevu, 54, destroyed his mulberry plantation over 2.5 acres owned by him following a collapse in price of silk cocoons. Mahadevu used a JCB to destroy the entire plantation on Saturday.

He had borrowed Rs 3 lakhs to Rs 4 lakhs but could not repay the loan because of drop in prices of silk cocoon. He plans to switch to an alternative crop, according to official sources.