Mrs Kiran Choudhry, Leader of the Haryana Congress Legislature Party (CLP), has asked the BJP Government, led by the Chief Minister, Mr Manohar Lal Khattar, to swing into action to check the spread of tela-chepa and yellow rust which have afflicted the crop across the state.The state government should also take remedial measures to save such crop as has been damaged and compensate the farmers for the loss of cotton, guar and bajra crops. The farmers are still awaiting compensation despite repeated assurance given by the BJP Government on the floor of the House during the last Winter Session, she added. In a statement issued here today, the former Excise and Taxation Minister accused the government of supplying the farmers wheat seeds without getting them medically treated.
These poor quality seeds may have resulted in the outbreak of the diseases. The farmers have already suffered heavy losses last year and another loss will ruin them, she added. Yellow rust is a fungal disease that attacks leaves of the wheat crop by forming yellow stripes during December-February and affects the photosynthesis activity, causing shriveling of the grain size. However, tela-chepa makes the plant weak and turns the leaves black.“The BJP Government should step up the vigil to check the occurrence and spread of these diseases and compensate the farmers adequately,” she demanded.