PIL seeks Rs 20,000 cr relief for hailstorm-hit Maha farmers

Two farmers have moved the Bombay High Court seeking a direction to the Centre and Maharashtra government to provide a Rs 20,000-crore relief package for farmers, whose crops have been damaged in the recent hailstorms and unseasonal rains in the state.

Gorakh Anand Ghadge and Vithalrao Pawar, hailing from Solapur district in Western Maharashtra, filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in this regard.

The petition, mentioned in the HC today, will be heard by a Division Bench of Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice M S Sanklecha tomorrow.

"The PIL has been filed in the interest of all those farmers who have incurred heavy losses to their crops since February this year due to unseasonal rains and hailstorms which have affected 14,917 villages across the state," the agriculturists said.

According to the petition, lands ad-measuring over 1.7 million hectares had been affected in the natural calamity.

Crops of summer rice, jowar, wheat, vegetables, onion, sugarcane, corn, maize, groundnuts, and horticultural products like banana, pomegranate, grapes, orange, papaya, mango and sweet lime have been damaged.

"The loss of crops, which were about to be harvested and taken to the market for sale, comes up to Rs 42,000 crore approximately," the PIL claimed.

"Pursuant to elections scheduled in Maharashtra on April 10, 17 and 24, the Model Code of Conduct has been implemented.

One of the points of the code stipulates that the Government during this period shall not declare any financial assistance to any person. This creates a hurdle to declare reliefs to the farmers who have been affected due to the natural calamity," it stated.

Several statements and assurances have been given by politicians, including the Maharashtra CM, about relief but no help has been provided till date, the farmers said.

"It would be appropriate if the Union and State Governments declared an immediate relief of Rs 20,000 crore.The affected farmers should also be given relief on payment of revenue and repayment of farm loans this year," they said.

Unseasonal rains, accompanied by hailstorms, have left at least 28 people dead and over 100 others injured across Maharashtra in the past few days, officials said.