Malda, Sept. 9: A four-member central team deputed to assess the drought condition in the district was greeted by torrential rain and visited only the least affected areas after cutting short the tour.

The worst drought-hit blocks — Habibpur, Bamongola, Gajole and Old Malda — remained out of the team’s tour.

“Affected farmers had been waiting for the whole day to talk to the central team about their plight. But they did not even come to our area reeling from an unprecedented drought spell,” said an angry CPM MLA of Habibpur, Khagen Murmu.

The team members, headed by Jute Corporation Development director Santosh Kumar Biswas, reached Malda by Intercity Express around 1am.

When the team members reached Chakbahadur village, it was raining heavily. Still, they got off their cars and talked to the villagers. Jute cultivated on thousands of bigha of land had been badly affected by the drought.