GADAG: Former minister and Congress MLA HK Patil has set an October 10 deadline for the government to declare Gadag taluk drought-hit, warning that he would resign as MLA if the demand is not met.
Patil made the statement while addressing farmers protesting near Mulagund after blocking the state highway connecting Karwar-Kaiga and Gadag-Ilkal. The farmers are opposing the exclusion of Gadag taluk from the drought-hit list.
Patil said the administration had already assessed the situation and there was sufficient evidence of severe rainfall deficiency in the taluk. He questioned why Gadag had not been included in the drought-hit list despite the government being aware of the situation.
“Gadag taluk has recorded a 49% rainfall deficit. Why has it not been declared drought-hit? Who is preventing the declaration?” Patil asked.
He said Chief Minister DK Shivakumar had also inspected crop conditions from Kadampur to Kurtakoti. “I am from a farming family and understand the difficulties faced by farmers. I will make every effort over the next few days to get Gadag declared drought-hit. If that does not happen, I will give the government an October 10 deadline through the Assembly and consider resigning to put pressure on the government,” he said.
27 north Karnataka taluks excluded
Patil also demanded that the government include all 27 taluks in north Karnataka that were left out of the drought-hit list. Of the 73 taluks in the region, 27 have reportedly not been included in the list.
“This should not be politicised. If there is any political motive behind the exclusion, I will expose it,” Patil said.
In a separate three-page letter to Shivakumar, Patil highlighted the impact of deficient southwest monsoon and what he described as the effects of “Super El Nino” on agriculture in Gadag district.
According to Patil, the district has received only around 50% of the expected rainfall, resulting in crop losses of about 86%. He specifically referred to damage to crops including green gram, groundnut, cotton and onion.
Patil said the government and administration needed to respond to the situation urgently and take measures to provide relief to affected farmers.
