BHUBANESWAR: Exhibiting dry paddy saplings in the Assembly, Opposition Congress and BJP members on Thursday demanded declaration of drought in the State without waiting for eye estimation report on kharif crop status. Participating in the adjournment motion on drought situation, Congress member from Kantabanji Santosh Singh Saluja showed a bundle of dry paddy saplings to the members. He said the crop situation is very bad in his district due to scanty rainfall and kharif operation has come to a halt. Disputing the Government claim that only three blocks of Balangir district had been affected, BJP Legislature Party leader KV Singhdeo said kharif crop in 13 out of 14 blocks had been totally affected. Claiming that kharif crops in 25 out of 30 districts of the State are badly hit due to scanty rainfall, Singhdeo said the Government should immediately declare drought without waiting for field report. He feared that it would not be possible to get crop situation report from every panchayat since a large number of village agriculture worker posts are lying vacant. Admitting that the kharif cultivation had been badly hit, Revenue Minister SN Patro said the Government was aware of the situation caused by insufficient rainfall and taking all possible measures to help the affected farmers. Though rainfall was normal in June, the State received only 59.7 per cent of normal rainfall in July which created problems for kharif operation. Districts like Angul, Balasore, Bhadrak, Boudh, Jajpur, Kalahandi and Mayurbhanj received less than 50 per cent rainfall in July, he informed the House. The Minister said 31 blocks in 15 districts had received rainfall less than 50 per cent. However, according to the estimate of the Agriculture Department 22 blocks of four districts were badly affected. A clear picture on the crop situation will emerge after field reports are received from the districts. Quoting an estimation done by National Agricultural Drought Assessment and Monitoring System (NADAMS) through Hyderabad-based National Remote Sensing Centre, Patro said only Sundargarh and Sambalpur districts have recorded satisfactory kharif cultivation while the situation was grave in 20 other districts. Meanwhile, the Minister said his Government had already sent a preliminary report on the situation to the Ministry of Agriculture and requested it to send a central expert team for a field visit. Blaming the climatic changes for the erratic monsoon, he said the calamity was beyond the Government’s control. Not satisfied with the reply, the Opposition staged a walkout.