Panel to probe increasing farmer suicides in Telangana

Hyderabad: Karimnagar and Medak districts witnessed three farmers’ suicides each on Sunday. K. Rajayya, 48, of Arepalli village in Husnabad mandal consumed poison on Saturday night and died on Sunday while being treated at a hospital in Karimnagar.

Financial crisis and failed crops drove B. Narsaiah, 45, of Chandragiri village of Vemulawada mandal to suicide. He, too, consumed pesticide. Another farmer, M. Tirupati, 45, jumped in front of a train at Chikuraya village of Peddapalli mandal in the district.

J. Mallesh, 50, of Medak district, hanged himself to death from a tree near the Begumpet pump house in Hyderabad. He had recently arrived in the city to make a living following the destruction of his crop.

Two other farmers, J. Pochayya, 60, and Vithal Reddy, 48, both died of cardiac arrest, unable to bear the heavy debts. They belonged to Chetlagouraram and Chinnagundavelli villages respectively.

In Allor village in Nizamabad district, N. Ramesh, 35, hanged himself from the ceiling fan with a sari. B, Devayya, also 35, hanged himself from a tree in his farmland in Janagam village. Both of them had debts.

Meanwhile, M. Devayya, 34, of Kalukuntla village in Manavapadu mandal of Mahbubnagar district died during treatment at the government hospital in Kurnool. He had consumed pesticide four days ago, seeing no way to clear to his debts.

Irrigation minister T. Harish Rao said a three-member committee comprising RDO, DSP and assistant director of agriculture would enquire every farmer suicide and report to the government. “Based on these reports the government will extend help to the family,” Mr Rao said.

One A. Ambedkar, 29, hanged himself in his house fearing that the harvest might not be enough to clear debts. The fourth death in Warangal was that of V. Venkatayya, 50. He mixed pesticide in a soft drink and consumed it.