The Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC) appears to have started focusing on suicide by farmers?
Accompanied by representatives of Caring Citizens Collective (CCC), TJAC district president A. Babu Rao visited the house of Jangapally Srikanth (26), a farmer of Sirsingandla village in Kondapaka mandal of Siddipeet district on Tuesday.
Burdened with about ₹4 lakh debt following withering up of his crops and failing of bore wells, Srikanth had committed suicide by consuming pesticide at his farm on July 6th. He was survived by wife Krishnaveni, and two sons — Ravi Kumar, Shiva Krishna — mother Ballavva and father Sattaiah. He is not even owning a house and staying in a rented accommodation in the village.
Heavy debt
“Srikanth was having only 1.1 acre land as his share and that too was not yet transferred on his name. He dug three bores and only one yielded some water. His total debt reached ₹4 lakh and he feared that he may never come out of the debt trap and hence committed suicide,” S. Praveen, member of CCC, who interacted with the family members of Srinkanth told The Hindu.
The visit of a team consisting TJAC leaders and CCC is being considered as a prelude to the scheduled visit of TJAC chairman M Kodandaram is scheduled to visit on July 30th. The TJAC has planned the third phase of Amarula Spoorthi Yatra in Gajwel constituency during which Prof. Kondandram would visit the villages that would get submerged under the proposed Kondapochamma reservoir and Vemulaghat which would submerge under the proposed Mallannasagar reservoir.
“We have so far noted five suicide cases of farmers in Siddipet district, including the suicide of a woman farmer at Chintamadaka, the native village of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. Only 120 families of farmers’ who had committed suicide received compensation from the government while the remaining are still waiting,” said TJAC-Siddipet chairman A. Babu Rao.