Thanjavur: Angry farmers seek relief from state, Central govt

Thanjavur: Farmers of Thanjavur district, who attended monthly agriculture grievances day (G-day) at the collectorate here on Friday, resorted to various forms of novel protests to highlight their plight due to drought and demanding immediate drought relief from the State and Central governments.

They also protested against fund allotment for Meghdatu dam project by Karnataka government and appealed to the Centre to take steps to stop the project. In fact, one group of farmers led by Kakkarai Sukumar of Thamizhaga Vivasayigal Sangam came to the meeting sporting shirts made of gunny bags.   “This is to highlight farmers who used to sell paddy in gunny bags have left with nothing to fill in the bags,” said Sukumar.

He also said that though the State government has declared entire Tamil Nadu as drought hit and announced relief, the benefit has not yet reached farmers. “If Meghdatu dam is completed in Karnataka, people of Tamil Nadu will not have water for drinking purpose. Central government is indifferent to this issue. It should step in and stop the project,” Sukumar urged.   

They demanded payment of '25,000 as relief per acre of paddy loss and '25 lakh to the kin of farmers who either died or committed suicide due to crop loss in 2016-17.   

Another group of farmers led by V.Jeevakumar belonging to Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam affiliated to CPI (M) and Ravichandran, a farmer, came with noose around their necks. They said that farmers have no other choice than to commit suicide by hanging, if the plight in which they are in, continued.

They said that enumeration of farmers for providing drought relief was going on slowly. Though more than 200 farmers died or committed suicide due to debt burden or crop failure in the state, the State government put the number of farmers who either died or committed suicide as only 17. They also protested against the permission given by Central government for extraction of hydrocarbon gas in Neduvasal in Pudukkottai district and appealed to the Modi government to cancel the permission. “This would render Cauvery delta into a desert. Already, farmers fought against the proposed methane project in the delta region and got it shelved. People against the proposed shale gas project by ONGC have registered protests. Neduvasal project also should be stopped” they said.

Thiru. A.Annadurai, Thanjavur district collector said that ‘samba (long-term paddy)’ crop had been raised on 2,02,700 acres in the district this year. ‘Thaladi’ paddy had been raised on 64,325 acres and summer paddy crop on 1,133 acres. Harvest of ‘samba’ and ‘thaladi’ crops have so far been completed on 1,58,865 acres in the district.