On Tuesday, Justice Rajesh Bindal of Chandigarh High Court issued notice to the Haryana Govt., DG, Vigilance Bureau, Secretary, Agriculture Department and Secretary, Revenue Department in connection with the corruption in disbursement of compensation to farmers for crop damage, due to unseasonable rain and hailstorm.
Petitioner
a 70 years old farmer through his counsel Pardeep Rapria pleaded before the
High Court that The unseasonal
rainfall and hailstorm had extensively damaged his wheat crop. The Petitioner
along with his neighbours sharing boundary with agriculture land had sought the
compensation for damage to my wheat crop. The concerned Patwari had
demanded the 50% amount of total compensation amount, as a bribe, for giving
favourable
loss assessment report. On his refusal to pay bribe the farmers sharing
boundary with his agriculture land on the left and right of his land were shown
to have suffered damage to crop whereas his crop which falls between the two
was shown ‘no damage’. He complained to the Chief Minister, Secretary Vigilance
Department, DG Vigilance Bureau, but no action was taken against the corrupt
officers. Ultimately he had to approach the High Court through his counsel.
The assessment
of loss of crops solely depends on the whims and fancies of patwari and
other concerned senior revenue officers. All
rampant corruption is actuated by criminal conspiracy between the Revenue
officers to get illegal monetary benefits out of the compensation money to
different beneficiaries.
Whereas
the institution of patwari is corrupt and functions in a partisan way.
And, farmers are hostage to the
archaic system of girdawari (crop inspection) report by patwari -
the lowest-rung revenue official. These reports are used by the government to decide
compensation to be paid to the farmers for damaged crops. The High Court has
directed the State Govt. and Vigilance Department to file reply by 21 March
2016.
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