TIRUCHY: Tiruvarur Collector V Mohanachandran on Thursday instructed officials to ensure that no farmer affected by Cyclone Ditwah or the northeast Monsoon is left out of the ongoing crop damage assessment.
Monitoring the enumeration process during a surprise inspection at Kottur and Thiruthuraipoondi, the Collector interacted with farmers and reviewed the progress. He noted that while the district normally receives 350.54 mm of rainfall in November, it recorded 417.41 mm this year. “In addition, 73 mm of rainfall was recorded over two days in December,” he said.
Pointing out complaints from farmers about improper assessment, Mohanachandran directed officials to use the special mobile application for accurate enumeration. VAOs would accompany the agriculture department staff during the assessment, he added.
The Collector emphasised that the process must cover every village and be completed at the earliest to enable the timely disbursal of compensation. The intervention of the Collector follows allegations of ignoring many of the worst-affected areas in a bid to cut costs for the government.
Joint Director (Agriculture) Balasaraswathi and other officials were present during the inspection.