Haryana Govt ‘using’ girdawari probe to delay relief

Geetanjali Gayatri and Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 29

A special inquiry initiated by the Haryana Government into the reports of recently concluded girdawari to assess farmers’ loss due to whitefly attack is being seen as the BJP’s attempt to delay or decrease the compensation to those affected.

While the final report on the special girdawari to assess the loss in districts of Hisar, Sirsa, Fatehabad, Bhiwani and Jind is yet to come in, the reports sent by the respective Deputy Commissioners, too, are being kept under wraps due to the extensive damage reported. A special girdawari was also conducted in Mahendragarh for low productivity of bajra and guar due to drought-like conditions.

Sources said the compensation may range from Rs 1,500 crore to Rs 5,000 crore.

“This is an unusual exercise. Normally, such special inquiries are not ordered once the special girdawari, in which officers up to the Commissioner Rank are involved, is complete. After such a strenuous and transparent exercise, there is hardly any scope for special inquiry,” said a senior administrative officer in Sirsa.

Congress state unit chief Ashok Tanwar alleged that the special inquiry was an effort to deny farmers their due as they happened to be from districts who did not vote for the BJP in the parliamentary and assembly polls.

“According to reports of special girdawari prepared jointly by officials of the Revenue and Agriculture Departments, farmers in Sirsa, Fatehabad, Hisar, Bhiwani and Jind have suffered heavy loss. Even if the state government pays compensation to them on the slabs announced for wheat, the total amount of compensation will exceed Rs 5,000 crore,” Tanwar said.

Even as Deputy Commissioners remain tight-lipped about the recommendations, sources said officers who toured the affected districts with additional staff to ascertain the damage were expected to give a report on cotton alone, thereby, bringing down the estimates received from the districts.

While they were expected to submit a report of their findings by November 20, sources said a few of them were yet to compile their findings and the award of compensation could take much longer.

Dilip Singh, Additional Chief Secretary and Financial Commissioner, Revenue, said though the senior officers had toured the respective districts, they were yet to submit their reports. “They have asked for more time since the crop had already been cut and sold. They have asked for an extension,” he said.

Sources said the government was not keen on pushing for a report since the winter session of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha begins tomorrow. Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had announced that a special girdawari would be conducted and compensation awarded. The girdawari began on September 15.