Ottapidaram residents demand uninterrupted power supply for farmlands

THOOTHUKUDI:  Lamenting that improper water supply caused due to frequent power shortages has led to the withering of crops, farmers from villages surrounding Puthukudi substation in Ottapidaram submitted a petition during the weekly grievance redressal meeting on Monday.

The villagers led by M Petchiammal, Director of Uzhavarkudi Farmer Producer Company Limited, said farmers in the region had predominantly cultivated paddy and maize relying on wells and bore well irrigation. "Majority of people here are marginal farmers owning one or two acres of land. The electricity supply has been irregular in all the villages around Puthukudi substation," he said.

Chithravel, a maize farmer from Kodiangulam, said power supply for farmlands is provided between 11 pm and 5 am. "But it is unsafe for us to venture out in the dark as snakes and other creatures will be lurking around. We request the authorities to provide farms electricity during the daytime," the farmers said.

Meanwhile, a woman with disabilities from Sathankulam staged a sit-in protest at the collectorate campus along with her baby demanding the police to file an FIR against her in-laws for allegedly abusing her verbally and physically. The petitioner, V Leethiyal, said when she reported the abuse to the Sathankulam police, they refused to register an FIR and persuaded her to strike a compromise with her relatives.  

In another petition, CPM branch secretary of Pallipathu village R Ponraj complained that TNSTC buses often skipped Pallipathu village forcing the locals to depend on autorickshaws. He also sought action against the drivers who are steering the buses through unscheduled routes.