Loss of standing crops: PMK, TMC raise pitch for hike in compensation

CHENNAI: Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder S Ramadoss has called for the Tamil Nadu government to pay compensation of Rs 40,000 per acre for the Delta farmers who have lost standing crops.

He said that Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had announced a compensation of Rs 5,400 per acre for 40,000 acres of paddy field affected due to shortage of water.

Lashing out at the government, the PMK leader said that while 2 lakh acres of crop was withering, announcing compensation for only 40,000 acres was a whitewash.

Ramadoss also said that the party will hold protest marches and agitations if the government doesn't announce proper compensation to the farmers affected by water shortage.

It is to be noted that the water level in the Mettur dam stood at 32 feet on Friday, instead of its total capacity of 120 feet. The shortage of water in the Mettur dam has led to the scarcity of water for Kuruvai paddy farming in the Delta districts of Tamil Nadu, including its rice bowl Thanjavur.

The Tamil Manila Congress (TMC), meanwhile, has also stated that the party will hold protest marches if the state government does not provide adequate compensation to the farmers of Delta districts, who are suffering from loss of standing Kuruvai paddy crops.

TMC leader and former Union minister G.K. Vasan said that the state government has announced a compensation of Rs 5,500 per acre, which is inadequate as he called upon the government to raise it to a minimum of Rs 20,000 per acre.

In a statement, Vasan called upon the state government to provide compensation in 30,000 acres of land in each Delta district, instead of the compensation for 40,000 acres of land.

The TMC leader also said that the party will hold agitations and protest marches across the state if the government doesn't provide adequate compensation.