Three more farmers commit suicide in Orissa; Toll touches 15

Bhubaneswar, Nov 05 : In shocking incidents three distressed farmers unable to bear the burden of crop loss and loan debt today committed suicide by consuming poison in three villages taking the total farmers' suicide in Orissa to 15 during the last one month.

Report reaching here today said while one farmer in Kaseipali village under Loisinga block in Bolangir district committed suicide, another also took the extreme step in Balisuruda village under Salepur block in Cuttack district.

A third farmer from Kantamal block in Boudh district also committed suicide today.

With three more suicide reported today so far 15 farmers had committed suicide in the state and a majority of them belonged to Western Orissa where as many as eight farmers have taken their lives The suicide of the farmers in distress continued unabated ever since the first case was reported on October four last in Western Orissa despite the welfare measures announced by the Naveen Patnaik government.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had already ordered a high level administrative probe by the Agricultural Production Commissioner(APC) into the series of farmers' deaths in various districts in the state.

The trend was no more confined to a particular region but spread across the state as such tragic incidents had so far been reported from Coastal, Southern, Northern and Western parts of Orissa.

The Opposition political parties held the ruling BJD government responsible for the tragic death of the farmers and demanded immediate resignation of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Agriculture Minister Dr Damodar Rout for their failure to prevent the recurrence of the farmers' suicide in the state.

--UNI

(c) 2009 Published with permission from United News of India.
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