RICH PLANTERS IN COORG POCKET CRORES IN FLOOD RELIEF FROM GOVT BY DEPRIVING NEEDY FARMERS

By P.T. Bopanna

In a major scam, thousands of affluent planters in Kodagu (Coorg) district have pocketed huge compensation from Karnataka government allegedly by making false declaration of crop losses in last year’s floods, thereby depriving payments to needy farmers.

 The government has released a list of 31,191 people who received compensation to the tune of Rs 30.80 crore.

What raised this writer’s suspicion was the fact that the list released by the government had payments made to farmers in South Kodagu where the crop losses were minimal from the floods.

Among the beneficiaries were a number of people, who drive around in high-end vehicles and members of prestigious clubs. It is apparent that government officials have colluded with the affluent farmers to claim the compensation which was credited to the bank account of the beneficiaries.

The Kodagu DC Annies Kanmani Joy (in picture) should immediately order an inquiry to ascertain how huge amounts were paid out to people who did not suffer crop losses and recover the amount from undeserving beneficiaries.

 It is no secret that genuine farmers who suffered huge losses have only received paltry sums, whereas thousands of rupees were paid out to affluent farmers who suffered minor crop losses.  

The government should have excluded the creamy layer while identifying the beneficiaries and increased the quantum of payment to small and marginal farmers.

Besides payment for crop losses, the government has also paid compensation towards removal of silts from fields and to those who lost their lands due to landslides.

The total compensation paid out was Rs 32.76 crore in Kodagu district. Please check out the link below to find out the beneficiaries who have availed compensation from the government.

 https://cdn.s3waas.gov.in/s3c8ed21db4f678f3b13b9d5ee16489088/uploads/2019/05/2019050341.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1H2tt6hOHRxA1xDMqodn9sreHROGZcScpZQQswgsc9xxH8geM2D214zAo

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10 Responses

  1. Hanumantha Raj Baragur says:

    Such incidents are common. Most of the benefits are always cornered by greedy not needy

  2. Suresh Muthanna says:

    There should be an inquiry ordered by the DC of Kodagu immediately…

  3. Madappa says:

    Please go through NDRF and SDRF circulars
    Rs.18000 per hectare I.e 2.5 hectares.
    Maximum ceiling is 2 hectares(5acres) per applicant(ADHAR LINKED ONLY)
    If someone has applied for more than 2 hectares,he is eligible for Rs.36000 only.
    If he has applied in more than one location with different RTC he cannot get for both places as payment is linked to ADHAR and payment is done directly through any one of the bank accounts linked to ADHAR
    So how can the rich take away all the money? It is based on land holding with a max cap limit allowable. Even if you own above it, you get nothing extra.

  4. Yashoda says:

    Many names are fake, and amount released are not for crop loss due to flood.People who do not have property in their names have claimed and the amount has been released. This is utter misuse of public money. Needs to be investigated thoroughly.

  5. It indicates BAD BLOOD BREEDING of such planters who collected illegal gratification.

  6. Monique Somaya says:

    My mother Mrs Chitra Subbiah lost her home entirely..and 20 acres of prime estate land..in Hatti hole to the landslides that devastated the area.There were photos and interviews of her with the Defence Minister.All she received was Rs 3500 from the panchayat. After all the application, documentation and proof was submitted. How do we rectify this omission from relief aid.

    • Coorg News says:

      I am shocked to hear about the plight of your mother. The devastation that was caused to your property was the most widely talked about subject during the tragedy. There is something wrong in the way the compensation was paid. The government should order an inquiry to ascertain the lapses in the payment of compensation.

  7. Darshan says:

    South Coorg areas in Marenad have suffered huge losses, between 50-80% of crop compared to the average of last 5 years. No loans have been repaid to the banks as people are virtually broke! Despite losses of lakhs the maximum compensation the government is giving is Rs 36,000 per farmer.

  8. Coorg News says:

    COORG CROP LOSS RELIEF SCAM: DO NOT SHOOT THE MESSENGER

    By P.T. Bopanna

    I have been viciously targeted after I penned a report on how some of the farmers in Kodagu (Coorg) pocketed fat compensation for crop losses suffered in the last monsoon.
    Since some of the comments to my post on Facebook were abusive, I had to delete them. Those targeting me should remember there are two sides to a story. Being a journalist, I am always on the side of the underdog.

    You kindly go through the list of beneficiaries who have received compensation from the government, especially those in South Kodagu where there was comparatively less havoc caused by the monsoon. I can point out that there are instances where members of the same family have claimed multiple compensation. It is possible that they would have produced different documents to claim the compensation. This way, the same family would have got more than the Rs 36,000 ceiling.

    I know many people have been embarrassed after I published the list of the beneficiaries. They are really upset as their conscience must be pricking. Hence they have vented their anger against me by using abusive language. One of them who foul-mouthed me is the daughter of a legendary editor of Kodagu whom I respect a lot. If he were to be alive, he would have commended my report.

    Once again I will post the link to the list of beneficiaries at the bottom of this note. Kindly go through it very carefully. There are many who got just Rs 1,000 by way of compensation. Is this not injustice? Some families manage to get multiple payments, whereas the government throws small change at the poor people.

    One of the charges against me is that I am the ‘enemy within’ and the next version of AKS, whatever that means. I wish to point out that those who faced the brunt of the calamity also speak the same language as people like us (PLU). But the problem is they do not belong to the ‘club class’. Hence you treat them shabbily by throwing crumbs at them.

    I am upset because these poor people have got a raw deal. After last August’s tragedy, I visited many of these areas between Madikeri and Madapur. Most of them are lower middle class people. They have a lot of self-respect and honesty. They will not beg the government for money. It is the duty of the government to go to them. But the government has failed to reach out. Many of them are houseless because the government slowed down the promised construction of houses and other infrastructure.

    Like a typical politician, the housing minister U.T. Khader, after visiting the flood-affected areas, promised the houses would be ready within a month. It is nine months now. Only the first batch of 35 houses were handed over to the beneficiaries this week. This is how the Karnataka government functions.

    Finally, I request the trolls to stop giving me lectures. I too have a small holding in South Kodagu. I am very much aware how plantations are not viable anymore. Like the man-made disaster which struck Kodagu last August, the fall in the price of pepper is also man-made. The Modi government should take the blame for signing the treaty with Sri Lanka, which enabled the illegal import of cheap Vietnam pepper through Sri Lanka, mainly benefitting the son of a BJP leader.

    https://cdn.s3waas.gov.in/s3c8ed21db4f678f3b13b9d5ee16489088/uploads/2019/05/2019050341.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1H2tt6hOHRxA1xDMqodn9sreHROGZcScpZQQswgsc9xxH8geM2D214zAo

  9. Ganapathy says:

    Commendable job Bopanna. Keep these kind of articles coming….

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