10 months ago
Central Team's Solapur Visit: Farmers Question Damage Assessment in Darkness
Imagine your house got flooded and all your toys and furniture were ruined.
A group of important people from the government came to see how bad the damage was.
But, they arrived when it was already dark outside.
They used their phone lights to try and see, but the farmers felt this wasn't enough to really see everything that was broken.
The farmers were sad because they felt the visitors didn't really listen to their problems or see all the damage to their homes and farms.
The government official said the late visit wasn't a formal check and the real inspection started the next day when it was light.
They also said the important people did talk to some farmers and heard about how they were helped.
A central government team visited Solapur to assess flood and rain damage.
Farmers in Mohol taluka claimed the team arrived late and inspected damages with mobile torchlight in the dark.
Villagers stated their homes and farms were not properly inspected and their grievances were not heard.
The Solapur District Collector clarified the evening visit was unscheduled and a brief stop, with the formal assessment starting the next day.
The Collector added that the team did interact with villagers, who spoke about rescue efforts and government aid.
- Who
- A central government team, affected farmers in Solapur district
- What
- Assessment of flood and excess rain damage
- Where
- Solapur district, Maharashtra, India (specifically Mohol taluka and other affected villages)
- When
- Wednesday evening (unscheduled visit) and the following morning (scheduled assessment)
- Why
- To assess the damage caused by recent floods and heavy rains, and farmers' grievances regarding the assessment process.
Farmers' Concerns
District Collector's Clarification
Nature of the Visit
Farmers' Concerns
Farmers claim the central team arrived late in the evening and attempted to inspect damage using mobile torchlight, failing to assess their homes and farmlands.
District Collector's Clarification
The District Collector stated the evening visit was unscheduled, a spontaneous stop en route from Pune, and not an official damage assessment. The actual assessment began the following morning.
Interaction with Villagers
Farmers' Concerns
Farmers reported that the central team did not engage with them, listen to their grievances, or visit their heavily damaged homes and farms.
District Collector's Clarification
The Collector asserted that the team did interact with villagers and mentioned that villagers discussed rescue operations and government aid received for crop damage.
Assessment Method
Farmers' Concerns
Farmers questioned the feasibility of assessing flood damage with mobile torchlight in complete darkness.
District Collector's Clarification
The Collector acknowledged the darkness and the use of mobile torchlights but clarified that the team did not conduct an official inspection during that time, only a brief look at the situation.
Key facts
- Location
- Solapur district, Maharashtra, India
- Event Context
- Floods and excess rains in September and October
- Central Team's Purpose (Official)
- Assess losses due to floods and excess rains
- Farmers' Reported Losses
- Homes damaged, household items washed away, crop losses (e.g., sugarcane), soil erosion, prolonged power and water outages.
- Collector's Clarification on Visit
- Evening visit was unscheduled; formal assessment began the following morning.
Quotes
Anil Pandurang Deshmukh
a farmer from Kolegaon in Mohol taluka of Solapur district
“They tried to inspect the damage using mobile torch light as there was complete darkness.”
indianexpress.com
“They did not bother to visit the damaged farm land and the destroyed crop.”
indianexpress.com
Kumar Ashirwad
Solapur District Collector
“The central team reached Pune around 4 pm.”
indianexpress.com
“From Pune to Solapur, it takes five hours.”
indianexpress.com
Rajendra Jagtap
a resident of Ashte village, next to Kolegaon
“I have lost all my crop on seven acres of land.”
indianexpress.com
“I thought the central team which visited our village listen to our grievances.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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