Flood-hit ryots allege step-motherly treatment

RANIPET: The Tamilaga Vivasyigal Sangam has decried the step-motherly treatment meted out to farmers affected by the recent Cyclone Michaung.

Sources reveal that the farmers have said the relief in no way meets their needs and only pushes them further into debt.

When Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin was in the opposition he demanded that the AIADMK government pay out Rs 30,000 per hectare during the floods.

“But now as head of the government and State he announces Rs 17,000 per hectare when the cost of agricultural operations per acre itself amounts to Rs 25,000,” said the Sangam State chief T Venugopal.

“The then AIADMK government provided Rs 20,000 per hectare compensation which the present DMK government has been unable to match,” said the Sangam State vice-president S Udayakumar.

Intervening Sangam youth wing state president R Subash said, “Even of the Rs 20,000 which the AIADMK offered farmers, Rs 13,500 was from the central government. This amount was fixed by the union government more than a decade ago and we are still demanding that the amount be raised in keeping with the recent hike in the prices of all agricultural inputs.”

“When the government goes all out to help fishermen affected by natural calamities we wonder why farmers alone are meted such treatment as the amounts announced by the State government will in no way help farmers but push them deeper into the red,” Venugopal added.

The Sangam also called on the union government to waive farm loans issued by nationalised banks as this would help farmers tide over the present crisis if they knew that they did not have to pay further loan dues.

“This will offer them some relief in a situation where they have lost their standing crops,” Udayakumar added.