Capt says govt ignored warning on whitefly, seeks probe
Saturday, 10/10/2015
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CHANDIGARH: Amritsar member of Parliament (MP) Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday sought a probe into the alleged negligence by the Punjab government in taking timely action even as the Jalandharbased Central Integrated Pest Management Centre warned it about the whitefly attack on the cotton crop well in advance.
He also condemned the attempts of the state government to give a political colour to the farmers’ agitation regretting that instead of recognising the severity of the crisis, chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and his deputy Sukhbir Badal were saying that the protest was politically influenced.
Amarinder said the CIPC had sent a report to the state government in July when the whitefly attack was in its formative stage. The pest attack could have been checked if the state government had taken timely action, he said.
‘FIX RESPONSIBILITY’
“Responsibility should be fixed as why the report was ignored. Had the government taken action on the report, the cotton crop could have been saved,” said Amarinder, adding that suspending and imprisoning one-odd official would not serve purpose as it was the responsibility of the minister. “The government has been busy in defending agriculture minister Tota Singh. It gave a clean chit to him even before the inquiry is complete,” alleged Amarinder.
The claims of the state government that farmers in Haryana and Rajasthan had suffered more losses than the Punjab farmers are absurd. “Does the government want our farmers to suffer more?” he questioned.
‘NAME BENEFICIARIES’
Referring to claims of the state government of having announced ‘600 crore compensation to the affected cotton growers, Amarinder said: “Let us know the names and addresses of the farmers who have been compensated.”
He has also said that after the cotton farmers, paddy farmers are likely to suffer as the state government had failed to make arrangements for the smooth procurement of paddy.
