Dharwad: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah who visited the district to collect first-hand information on the severity of drought on Friday spent very less time at the fields and the affected irking the farming community.
His visit to Harobelavadi village in Dharwad Taluk lasted for only 10 minutes. Many farmers who waited to meet him since hours could not meet him and they questioned whether such kind of visits could fetch any benefit for them.
The CM along with Agriculture Minister Krishna Byregowda visited this last of the village in the district after taking a stock of the situation in Savadatti taluk in Belagavi district. First he had gone to the fields belonging to Shivanand Betasur where he viewed onion crop loss and later visited the field of Shankargouda Patil and witnessed the onion and chilly crops damaged due to scarcity of rain.
His short visit upset the farmers. DC S B Bommanahalli, District in-Charge Minister Vinay Kulkarni and other officials provided CM with the information on crop loss.
Hubballi Visit
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah visited select villages in Hubballi taluk which have been affected by drought.
He reached Bhandiwad village nearly two hours behind schedule in the evening, visited the fields and interacted with farmers. In Bhandiwad, he visited the field of Rajkumar Narayan Basava who had sown Bt cotton in his four acres of land and suffered total crop loss. He had spent Rs. 10,000 per acre and is now mired in debts, the chief minister was told.
Later, Siddaramaiah visited fields in Siraguppi, Yaraguppi, Rottigawada and Nalavadi villages. He also visited a farm pond in a field en route and interacted with the farmers there.
However, his visit seemed like a mere formality and the advancing hours did not permit him to spend more time with the villagers.
Legislators N H Konaraddi, C S Shivalli and Srinivas Mane and others were also present.
Later at a review meeting held in Hubballi, CM asked officials to provide pure drinking water and works under MNREGS and ensure proper supply of fodder to cattle in the district.
