Farmer alleges official apathy, threatens suicide in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh

GUNTUR: A young farmer and staunch supporter of the ruling TDP has threatened to commit suicide at the Collectorate in Guntur on January 22. He is reportedly unhappy with  the supposed negligence of revenue officials in surveying his farmland.The aggrieved farmer Ch Raja posted a selfie on social media with a message that conveyed  the harassment meted out to him by the revenue officials in connection with survey of his farmland. He claimed that he did not get agriculture loan waiver; he therefore, borrowed `8 lakh from a private money lender. 

The outstanding amount has now increased to `12 lakh. Unable to clear the loan due to crop losses, he decided to sell his one acre land, but revenue officials, he alleged created hurdles while surveying his farmland. He warned that he will commit suicide at the Collectorate on January 22.

The revenue officials reportedly rushed to the village after they came to know about the grievance of the farmer through social media and tried to meet him personally to know the exact problem but the farmer, it is said, expressed his inability to meet them fearing police action against him. He however, as per reports, spoke to the officials over a mobile phone provided by a media person.

Karampudi tahsildar Lakshmi Prasuna said that the farmer had submitted a memorandum in the name of his mother Ch Vijayalakshmi requesting a survey of the farmland at Lakshmipuram village on May 13, 2017. The land belonged to his mother. Accordingly, the surveyor completed the survey on May 23, 2017. However, he denied to accept the survey, Lakshmi Prasuna said and demanded a resurvey as he was not satisfied with the survey results.