Ranipet ryots seek official policy to get alluvial soil
As the PWD has not desilted any lake or pond in recent times, the demand for alluvial soil, which has required nutrients and allows good water retention in paddy, has increased
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RANIPET: With the harvest currently in progress, farmers in the Ranipet district are still ignorant of the proper procedure to get alluvial soil for their farms for the next paddy season.
“The procedure till two years ago was that we apply to the local VAO, who would then verify the farmers’ bona fides regarding land, the need for alluvial soil, and then pass on the information to revenue department superiors. The revenue officials would then identify an irrigation tank/pond from where farmers can take alluvial soil,” said R Subash youth wing chief of Tamilaga Vivasayigal Sangam.
However, as the PWD has not desilted any lake or pond in recent times, “the demand for alluvial soil, which has required nutrients and allows good water retention in paddy, has increased,” said Damodaran of Panapakkam.
A senior agriculture department official in Ranipet said that he was newly posted in the region only two months ago. “But I am not aware of any change in the procedure to get alluvial soil,” he said.
PWD officials said their responsibility was only to issue ‘no objection certificates’ after proper scrutiny when a request was submitted to lift alluvial soil from an irrigation tank/pond from the revenue department.Both agriculture and PWD officials said that the permission would be granted to farmers in a week.
Subash said, “Grant of permission within a week has never happened. The issue now is that no official has a clear idea on from whom farmers are to get permission to collect alluvial soil.
Even when the government asked farmers to dig ponds in their farms, we had to get permission from the revenue department to fill it with alluvial soil to enable long duration of water storage.”
