TN govt should procure sugarcane of all sizes: Sasikala

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government should purchase sugarcanes of all sizes to provide relief to farmers and not stick to the GO specification of six feet length, said V K Sasikala, former AIADMK leader, who started the next leg of her state-wide campaign from Chengalpattu on Monday.
The government is procuring sugarcane from farmers at Rs 33 per piece to distribute it free to ration card holders for Pongal.
She said the government should realise that the length of sugarcane would depend on the soil condition. It would vary depending on the region. Farmers have no control over it, she said.
She said many pro-people schemes launched by former chief ministers M G Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa were being stalled by the DMK government. The government’s only contribution in the last 20 months was hiking power tariff and land tax, she charged.
DMK members were indulging in rowdyism and threatening shopkeepers. Unless people paid mamool to the DMK functionaries, new constructions could not be carried out in the state, she said. During Jayalalithaa’s tenure as chief minister, the government took stern action against those who violated law, even if they belonged to the AIADMK, she said.