Mysuru: Farmers from across the district, who met deputy commissioner Lakshmikanth Reddy on Saturday, alleged rampant corruption in the revenue department. They claimed that farmers were being treated inhumanely by officials.Responding to the complaints, Reddy assured the farmers’ delegation that he would visit all the taluks within the next 15 days and review their functioning. During the meeting, the IAS officer observed that there was not much interest among farmers in selling paddy and maize under the minimum support price (MSP) scheme at procurement centres.During the interaction, farmers raised several issues, including delays in services provided by the revenue department, wild animal menace, delays in the construction of barricades and digging of trenches to prevent wild animals from entering villages, and poor connectivity to farmlands, among others.One of the major grievances highlighted was the delay and denial of services by the revenue department at the taluk-level. Farmers from Hunsur, HD Kote and Piriyapatna urged the DC to personally visit the taluks and review the disposal of files.Congress functionary M Lakshmana, who led the delegation, submitted a memorandum listing 15 major issues faced by farmers in the district. He drew the attention of the deputy commissioner to problems such as delays in podi work, non-issuance of cultivation rights, alleged cheating in the tobacco market, delay tactics adopted by officials in tahsildar offices, failure of some panchayat development officers to ensure doorstep delivery of state govt benefits, and non-payment of crop insurance claims.A woman farmer alleged that at procurement centres, farmers were forced to pay labourers for shifting grain bags. She also claimed that nearly 3kg were deducted from each 50-kg bag in the name of quality testing. “This practice is forcing farmers to sell paddy, finger millet and maize to middlemen,” the farmers alleged.Responding to their concerns, the DC clarified that although paddy and finger millet procurement centres were already operational, the response from farmers was poor. He also stated that maize growers from the district could supply maize to the KMF fodder unit in Hassan, but added that not many farmers were showing interest.
