TIRUCHY: Despite the new procurement season commencing after a series of demands, the farmers faced another issue with the delay in the movement of procured paddy due to the monopoly of the transport contract still existing in the region.

This affects the movement of paddy, and the farmers have urged either to use locally available vehicles from the farmers or a district-level transport contract.

The farmers claimed that a particular contractor from Mannargudi in Tiruvarur district holds the state-level contract for lorry operations for the paddy movement from DPCs to the warehouses.

“The particular contractor who has political influence over almost all the parties in the state would fetch the contract by all means, and thus the monopoly in transportation delayed the movements, as the contractor has no proper number of vehicles. We even raised this issue in every tripartite meeting in the previous governments, but in vain due to the political influence of the contractor,” said Swamimalai Sundara Vimalnathan, Secretary, Tamil Nadu Cauvery Farmers Protection Association.

Vimalnathan claimed that the particular contractor has no adequate number of vehicles, and so he gives a sub-contract for which he collects a certain sum of money. “Sometimes, the lorry owners demand a sum of Rs 3,000 for the movement from DPCs, and the DPC staff who are supposed to part with that amount collect it from the farmers”, he said.

He said that the farmers have raised this issue every season and appealed to the officials to make use of the tractors available with the farmers for transportation and provide the usual rent, which would be an additional income for the farmers.

“We have also insisted on scrapping the monopoly of contracts and ensuring tenders at district level, which would assure a smooth transportation process. Each district needs at least 2,000 lorries operational each day, but it is not in practice if a single contract is given”, he said.

He also stated that inadequate transport facilities cause delays in the movement of paddy stocks from DPCs to warehouses and thus, the DPC staff are unable to procure paddy from the farmers until the already stocked paddy bags are cleared.

“We took this to the notice of the TNCSC officials and appealed to ensure fast movement or procure the paddy from farmers who have been waiting for days and stock it in the open air with proper protection, but the officials are hesitant,” Vimalnathan said.

Meanwhile, a senior TNCSC official said that they were instructed by the government to clear the already procured paddy stocks and go for the next procurement. “The movement process gained momentum and is expected to be smooth by next week,” the official confirmed.