No relief for farmers, tribals hit by Hudhud: CPI (M)

The Andhra Pradesh Government has totally ignored the interests of farmers and tribals in announcing relief packages to those affected by the Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Hudhud, CPI (M) State secretary P Madhu said.

No relief was announced to banana farmers, who had lost their crop mostly in Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts and to a lesser extent in Visakhapatnam, he told the media here on Friday. Similarly, silver oak and coffee plantations were lost in the tribal areas but no announcement was made for sustenance of the livelihood of the tribal people.

The State Government, which announced waiver of the loans taken by farmers in the past, had failed to act in time and the loans could not be rescheduled as a consequence. The farmers have lost a golden chance of claiming crop insurance as they could not avail of fresh loans, he said and demanded that the government own responsibility for this and ensure that justice was done to the farmers.

The CPI (M) was doing its bit for helping the cyclone affected. It had done large scale clearance of roads in the city especially around the district courts complex last week as the civic administration had failed to act on it, he said. The party cadre had distributed food at seven centres in Visakhpatnam and supplied 2,000 bed sheets to the tribal families, whose houses were damaged. More bed sheets were being procured by the party for supply to affected families in the tribal areas in view of the onset of winter, he added.