From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, Jun 2: Chief minister B S Yediyurappa has directed the Horticulture department to take strict action against as many as 150 employees of Horticulture Producers Cooperative Marketing Society (HOPCOMS), who have remained absent during the last three months on account of COVID-19 situation.
Reviewing the performance of the Agriculture, Horticulture and Sericulture departments through video conferencing, he said barely 250 out of the 550 HOPCOMS outlets in different parts of the state were functioning.
He directed the officials to take action against those responsible for the non-functioning of the 250 HOPCOMs outlets.
With the onset of monsoon, Yediyurappa said the drinking water problems were not present in the districts that faced the issue in recent months. In view of the commencement of monsoon and rains in different parts of the state, he directed that permission for sinking new borewells should not be given.
However, he said the question of sinking borewells could be examined after a month based on the prevailing situation.
The CM directed that the officials and staff of Agriculture and Horticulture departments, who had been deputed to different departments, must be repatriated to the parent department as their services were necessary, especially during the monsoon season.
Agriculture minister B S Patil said suitable arrangements have been made to ensure supply of quality seeds to farmers. The department was taking all necessary steps to ensure that seeds, fertilisers and other agricultural implements were made available to farmers besides marking arrangements for transport of agricultural produce.
The minister assured that the state was free from the locust menace that had affected some of the neighbouring states.
The chief minister directed the officials to conduct a survey of the sericulture areas by deploying drones and to also ensure that all the encroached government land was recovered.
Apart from Agriculture minister B C Patil, Horticulture and Sericulture minister K C Narayanagowda, Agriculture, Horticulture and Sericulture department principal secretary Rajendra Kumar Kataria, chief secretary T M Vijaya Bhaskar, Finance department additional chief secretary ISN Prasad, development commissioner Vandita Sharma and other senior officials were present.