Monsoon in Denial Mode! Maharashtra Farmers File Complaint Against IMD for Wrong Rain Forecast, Demand CM Devendra Fadnavis’ Intervention

This is the first a complaint has been filed against IMD for wrong weather predictions.

Some Maharashtra farmers have filed a complaint against India Meteorological Department (IMD) for an improper weather forecast. Irked with the inaccurate predictions by the weather department farmers from Beed district in Marathwada has filed a complaint against Colaba and Pune weather stations of the IMD for ‘misleading’ rain forecast. This is the first a complaint has been filed against IMD for wrong weather predictions. According to the complaint filed at the Dindrud police station in Majalgaon tehsil of Beed district, officials at the Met Department “colluded” with manufacturers which resulted in the loss of lakhs of rupees to the farmers who sowed various seeds based on their forecast of monsoon rains.

According to PTI, 54-year-old Gangabhishan Thaware, a farmer from Anandgaon village in Beed district, who is among the complainants said that the IMD officials “misled farmers saying that there would be ample rain during the Kharif season in June”. Explaining the loss of money and hard work, Thaware said, “Farmers undertook sowing operations, based on the IMD forecast. But after a brief initial spell, there has been no rain and farmers are staring at a bleak future, with the sowing operations have gone waste. Farmers in our region completed pre-sowing operations before June, based on the IMD forecast which said there will be ample rains in June-July this year.” Unseasonal rains forecast in Maharashtra

He added saying, “Despite scanty initial rainfall, farmers in our village undertook sowing operations as the IMD forecast a good rainfall. They spent lakhs of rupees on seeds, fertilisers, pesticides and labourers wages. However, there has been no rain since and our sowing operations have gone waste.” Thaware also held IMD officials responsible for the loss the farmers had to incur due to their predictions. Farmers have also written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis seeking his intervention in the matter. A police officer at the Majalgaon said that they have received the farmer’s complaint and were probing the matter.