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Sakleshpur MLA H.K. Kumaraswamy has demanded that the State Government assess the damage caused due to heavy rains and release suitable compensation. At a press conference in Hassan on Thursday, he said public property and crops to the tune of ₹350 crore was lost in Sakleshpur and Alur taluks in the rains that lashed the two taluks in the last 40 days.
“In some places, the rainfall recorded is four times higher than the normal. The damage caused by the rains is huge. Farmers have lost maize, paddy, coffee and other crops. Many tanks have been damaged”, he said. If the loss was assessed as per the NDRF guidelines, the compensation would be meagre. The government should take up a scientific assessment of the damage and release compensation accordingly, he said.
The MLA said that at least 60 per cent of the coffee had been lost in Alur and Sakleshpur taluks. The coffee growers are not eligible for crop insurance. The government should take steps to bring coffee also under the insurance net. Besides that the growers with land up to 10 hectares should get proper compensation, he said.
