CHENNAI: AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday urged the Tamil Nadu government to take immediate and adequate measures to provide relief to farmers whose agricultural lands have been submerged due to rains in various districts over the last week.
The former Chief Minister called for concerned department officials to be deputed to inspect the affected crops and assess the damage.
He also called on the government to provide Rs 25,000 per acre as relief to the affected farmers.
He demanded similar compensation for farmers of other crops, including sugarcane, banana, betel leaves, which have also suffered damage.
In a party statement, Palaniswami, who is also the leader of the opposition in the Assembly, said several paddy crops have submerged in districts, including Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Thiruvarur, Thanjavur, Tirunelveli, Tuticorin, and Kannyakumari.
Accusing the ruling DMK of "failing" to desilt canals ahead of the North East monsoon season, he said it has led to overflowing of several rivers and small lakes.
"Despite our request to desilt the canals, the DMK government has not taken any action to remove the encroachments in the waterways, which led to crops getting submerged," he claimed.
He criticised the agriculture department for not taking any preventive measures to safeguard the farmlands despite the Meteorological department forecasting heavy rains in the districts.
Noting that over 3 lakh acres of rice crops have been affected in Delta Districts alone, Palaniswami said it is not clear if these crops have been insured. "If the crops have been insured, I urge the DMK government to secure compensation from the insurance companies to the farmers," he said.