Farmers’ representatives of Tiruchi and Nagapattinam districts on Friday urged the government to withdraw cases booked against farmers for staging protests against the hydrocarbon exploration project in the Cauvery delta.
They raised the issued at the monthly grievance meetings in the two districts. A large number of farmers staged a walk out in Nagapattinam district.
They also protested against Collector’s failure to turn up for the meeting and accused him of “ignoring” farmers meetings repeatedly.
Raising the issue at the meeting in Tiruchi, P.Viswanathan, president, Tamizhaga Eri Mattrum Attru Pasana Vivasayigal Sangam, said cases have been booked against more than 1,400 farmers and urged Chief Minister Edappadi K.Palaniswami to intervene and withdraw the cases. Later, he led a demonstration of his association members outside the Collector’s office, the venue of the meeting.
M.P.Chinnadurai, district president, Tamizhaga Vivasayigal Sangam, criticised the booking of cases against farmers who were struggling to protect their livelihood. He urged the government to adopt a resolution in the Assembly declaring the Cauvery delta region as a protected agricultural zone. The cases booked against farmers should be withdrawn.
Earlier, a group of farmers, led by P.Ayyakannu, president, Desiya Thennidia Nadigal Innaippu Vivasayigal Sangam, staged a brief road roko and demonstration in front of the Collectors’ Office demanding that Tamil Nadu be declared as drought hit for sanction of relief.
They sought waiver of crop loans and suspension of recovery of dues and auctioning of jewels pledged by them. Fresh loans should be sanctioned liberally.
A section of farmers urged the district authorities to ensure that desilting of water bodies under the kudimaramathu scheme was carried out properly.
V.Chidambaram, district secretary, Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam, affiliated to the Communist Party of India (Marxist), said there were irregularities in a few places and urged the administration to form a committee comprising representatives of farmers’ organisations and officials to monitor implementation of the scheme.
Mr.Viswanathan said that though the scheme was being executed well, he urged the Collector to ensure the work was carried out properly.
Pointing out that there was just about 50 days to go for samba paddy cultivation to begin, he emphasised the need for the government to get its due share of water from Karnataka in the Cauvery and urged the Collector to take up farmers’ demand with the Chief Minister.
R.Raja Chidambaram, state secretary, Tamizhaga Vivasayigal Sangam, urged the district administration to ensure that the compensation sanctioned to maize growers for crop damage caused by Fall Armyworm, an invasive pest, reached the beneficiaries without any pilferage. Some of the village administrative officers were reducing the extent of land cultivated by the affected farmers, he alleged.
Collector S.Sivarasu said the government has sanctioned ₹8.96 crore to be disbursed as compensation to 16,182 affected farmers in Tiruchi district.
So far, about ₹1 crore has been disbursed to beneficiaries and the others would get the sum before the end of this month, he said.