The Congress has demanded that the state government should declare the areas which have received inadequate rainfall as drought-hit within seven days’ time. After a meeting with the chief minister at the Writers’ Buildings on Friday, Mr Bhunia said, “We have urged the chief minister to announce drought in seven days through a gazette notification which would provide some benefit to the farmers in paying their bank loans.”
Meanwhile, Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has also expressed his concern over the huge deficiency in rainfall which has created a drought-like situation in eight districts in south Bengal. However, chief secretary Ardhendu Sen will chair a review meeting on the latest situation on August 16, before the state government take its decision on whether the affected areas will be declared as drought-hit.