By Basudev Mahapatra
‘In a democratic set up, when the government fails to uphold the basic rights of people living at the grass root level, it is the duty of the civil society to act for the cause and build pressure to protect the rights of common people', was the theme of the Mahapanchayat (the grand village court) organised by a Bhubaneswar based trust bringing out Aromv- a daily newspaper in Oriya language. The objective of the Mahapanchayat was to openly discuss the issue of farmers' death in the state of Odisha since last one month.

The Mahapanchayat was a well thought-out assembly of people from different walks of life such as, politics, media, volunteer non-government organisations, development planning and activism including members of the deceased families and farmers to represent the total community that is now reeling under a drought like situation across the state.

Dharanidhara Patra of Sagarpali, father of the farmer Gaurahari Patra who committed suicide on October 4, 2009, said that his son was worried because of complete crop loss due to crop-eating caterpillar attack over his six acres of land and thus, committed suicide to get rid of the farm loan burdens.

Gaurahari took a loan of Rs 11,000 from a sanctioned amount of 26,250 from the Co-operative Bank. Even though his fields are just beside the largest reservoir of the state ‘Hirakud Dam Project', a drop of water for irrigation is still a dream for the farmers of Sagarpali. So, like any other farmer of Sagarpali, Gaurahari expected a good harvest from the usual rain fed Karif cultivation. But his hopes shattered due to low rainfall followed by caterpillar attack for which he committed suicide apprehending troubles in feeding his family and also, pressure from the bank for recovery of loan.

While the government in the state led by Naveen Patnaik is high-sounding on its measures to support the farmers of the state, the story narrated by a Co-operative Society president of Lakhanpur is completely different from the government claims. “The amount sanctioned to the farmers as loans are just figures for the government to quote and a dream for the farmers as the banks never release the amount. The banks only release the subsidy amount declared by the government and never release the rest even in case of distress due to crop loss. These became the reason of death of the farmer Angad Barik by committing suicide,” said Panda.

Angad wouldn't commit suicide had there been a glimpse of hope for the summer cultivation using irrigation facility. Even though over 25000 people of Lakhanpur Block live on agriculture, government has taken no serious step to ensure irrigation to the fields adjacent to the Hirakud Dam. The irony is that, almost all the villages of Lakhanpur are habited by families who had lost their land for the largest dam.

Some Lift Irrigation (LI) points would solve the problems of the farmers. But the project proposal is rotting under bureaucratic red tape. The plea behind non-execution of the proposal for LI points has been absence of electricity. It is worth mentioning here that Hirakud Dam, built over the land of these farmers, produces the major share of hydro electricity in the state.

“As per the promises made by Naveen Patnaik in 2000, the government chalked out a plan in 2003, to start a project of water reservoirs and renovation of canal irrigation system. But all plans ended abruptly in 2004,” said a public judge of the Mahapanchayat Panchanan Kanungo, the former finance minister and a close aid of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at one point.

Describing state government as the primary culprit behind the series of farmers' death, a former member of state administrative tribunal and special jury member in the Mahapanchayat, Saroj Kant Mishra expressed his concern saying that ‘this government has utterly failed in accomplishing its moral and constitutional duties for the farmers of the state'.

Holding the government responsible for the death of at least 15 farmers who have committed suicide due to crop loss, the farmers and other public judges who attended the Mahapanchayat condemned Odisha government's non-responsive attitude towards the issues of the farmers and demanded a compensation of two lakh rupees to the deceased families along with a compensation amount of 10000 rupees per acre against crop loss and complete waiver of all loans.

This is for the first time in the state of Odisha and may be in the country also, that a media organisation has picked up an issue concerning the common man and has started a campaign to build up pressure on the government by involving the civil society. The other unique feature of Aromv is that, everyday it declares a common man as its people's editor by carrying a piece written by the person as its editorial.

“It is not a function, nor a festival, but a day of national shame as the farmers – the backbone of Indian economy – are reeling under distress and are forced to commit suicide,” said Chandra Mishra, founder of Aromv and convener of Aromv Peoples' Editorial Committee. Editor of the newspaper Nihar Nalini Sarangi charged the government as playing with the lives of people which is completely against the spirit of democracy.
Source: Merinews.com