Farmers' leader threatens to move court against IMD's 'wrong' predictions
A farmers' Union leader in Madhya Pradesh's Malwa region has threatened to move court against what he claimed as IMD's "wrong" predictions leading to crop losses for cultivators in recent times. However, a senior scientist of the India Meteorological Department said farmers might have been "misled," as a private weather service predicted early monsoon this year, in contrast to forecasting of the IMD.
IMD's weather predictions have failed in most cases: Spokesman
He also said that cultivators should check whether the information was coming to them from genuine sources. "In most of the cases, the weather predictions released by the IMD have failed. This has led to huge losses for farmers," Bharatiya Kisan Sangh's Malwa Prant (region) spokesman Bharat Singh Bais claimed.
Farmers sometimes prepare for sowing as per IMD's forecast: Bais
He said they were planning to move court against the IMD's "wrong predictions" and a final decision in this regard will be taken soon. Ujjain-based farmers' leader, Bais, said at times, farmers prepare themselves for sowing as per the IMD's weather forecast.
'Failed predictions led to huge losses, sown crops got damaged'
But the failed predictions led to huge losses and sown crops got damaged, as it happened during the recent rains. About 300-400 hectares of land was lying unused (without sowing) in Ujjain district alone due to the IMD's wrong rain predictions, he said. In such a situation, farmers cannot trust the IMD's forecast, he added.
Collecting data of losses incurred by farmers: Bais
Bais said in the US and other countries, weather predictions are precise and people can prepare themselves according to them. "In India, the government is spending huge money, but the weather predictions are coming out to be wrong," he claimed. Bais said he was collecting the data of losses incurred by farmers due to the "wrong weather predictions" of the state's MeT department.
Will make decision about moving court by next month: Bais
The data of wrong forecasts in the past 2-3 years were also being collected, he informed. After collecting the data, we will make a decision about moving court against the IMD by next month, after holding a meeting, he said, adding that at present, he and his associates are engaged in organizational elections.
Farmers might have been misled: Senior scientist
Bais also said they had earlier staged a protest against the IMD's "wrong predictions" and it yielded results. When contacted, a senior scientist of the IMD's Bhopal center refuted the allegations and told that farmers might have been "misled." In several districts, some self-proclaimed weathermen were making forecasts as if they were IMD's representatives, which was leading to confusion, he said.
