Patients, farmers in rural Himachal short on medicines, farm essentials

Kuldeep Chauhan
Tribune News Service
Shimla, March 27

Farmers and patients in rural belts of Himachal Pradesh are facing a shortage of medicines, pesticides, fertilisers and spray oils as they are cut off from markets in Theog and Shimla.

The local administration has disallowed the plying of private vehicles after the district magistrate relaxed the curfew from 7 AM to 1 PM on Friday.

Local SDMs are not allowing private vehicles to ply from the villages to towns of Theog and Shimla from Chopal, Kotkhai Jubbal and Rohru to get the essentials like medicines, vegetables and farm essentials even as the order of the DM has allowed the vehicles carrying these supplies in the district, complain villagers.

"Local administration should either direct local private chemists to get the life-saving drugs from Shimla, Theog and Solan or the administration should ensure the delivery of the medicines in Chopal," said Balbir Singh Jhagta, who is a critical patient, who has no medicines on him.

Many patients are facing a shortage of medicines as there is just one chemist here and he does not have these medicines, he added.

The farmers said there was no transport facility for them to get supplies of farm essentials from Theog, Rohru and Shimla.

"How the administration expects us to get supplies from towns like Shimla and Theog, from the villages located 60 km to 100 km," asked Surender Chauhan, a farmer from Deha.

The supply and production chain should be allowed in curfew relaxation hours to ensure farm activities in the critical time of farming operation, he added.

The spray schedule period has started and we do not have spray oils or even spray machines which need repairs cannot be taken to the markets as mechanic shops are closed due to curfew, said Deepak Kumar, a farmer, from Chopal.

"The farmers are not allowed to carry out the farm activities as local officials and police come and stop them. We are running out of time," complained Gian Verma.

The DM has ordered APMC-run markets, which would operate in the relaxation period, but the private vehicles are not allowed by local police to carry these items to the markets or take back essentials to the farm.

The farmers have urged the DM to ensure the farmers are allowed to operate vehicles to take the supply and allow repairs of the spray machines considering their problems and time constraint.

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