Farmers demand government to declare Tamil Nadu as drought-hit

The farmers claimed that the monsoon had failed miserably throughout the state and they had incurred heavy losses. In many areas, crops had dried owing to water scarcity and many farmers who could not see the see the crops drying had even given up their lives. 

There were others who died of shock and mental agony.  Hence the family of the farmers who had died should be adequately compensated, said the farmers. For paddy, they demanded a compensation sum of Rs 25,000 per acre and for sugar cane they wanted a compensation amount of Rs 50,000 per acre. 

Farmers who had planted dry land crops should be given compensation of Rs 15,000 per acre, they added. “Apart from that the number of working days under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Scheme (MGNREGS) should be increased to 200 days per year and the daily wages should be increased to Rs 300 per day. The State government should allot fund for desilting ponds and rivers to enable irrigation,” they demanded.

In the meantime, farmers picketed the district Collector’s office and raised slogans against the state government. The police did not allow the farmers inside the Collectorate and when farmers tried to cross the barricade they were manhandled by the police personnel. Some of the farmers were beaten and dragged outside. Such incidents were witnessed in Madurai and Dindigul districts where large number of farmers were taken into custody by policemen.

Farmers, farm workers associations affiliated to CPI(M) launched an agitation before the Thanjavur collectorate demanding declaration of Tamil Nadu as drought hit and disbursement of assistance to the farmers whose crops have wilted due to non-availability of water in the Cauvery river system.

The agitation was jointly organised by the Tamil Nadu Farmers Association (AIKS) and All India Agriculture Workers Union (AIAWU). Cadre organised the sit-in under a makeshift shed put up in front of the collectorate as it was raining in the morning. 

The farmers said they would continue to protest till the Government declared the state as drought hit. They wanted immediate payment of compensation of Rs. 25,000 per acre for the wilted paddy crop, Rs 50,000 per acre for sugar cane as compensation. Family of farmers who died due to crop failure should be given Rs 10 lakh each, they said. Similar protests were organised in Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam.