Not a single farmer death in Tiruchy: Natarajan

Natarajan added that the committee has been assessing the damage as per the instruction of the Chief Minister. His reply created a flutter among the farmers who were present. “What do they (Ministers) know about the plight of we the farmers? They never step out of the air conditioned vehicles and meet us despite we have been crying for help,” said district president of Tamilaga Vivasayigal Sangam. He claimed that more than 100 farmers died in the state and in Tiruchy four died (two from Manapparai, one each from Lalgudi and Samayapuram). 

“But the Minister said otherwise,” he said and added that the farmers would stage demonstration after discussing with the members in coming days against the Minister for his comment. With only 24 per cent area out of the total cultivation potential covered this Rabi season, owing to poor monsoon and absence of canal based irrigation, as much as 67 per cent of crops have sustained damage in Tiruchy which was similar in almost the delta region and the expert committee visited districts like Tiruchy, Ariyalur and Nagapattinam districts to assess the crop damage. 

In Tiruchy, the team comprised Minister Vellamandi N Natarajan, Backward Class and Minorities Welfare Minister S Valarmathi, and Additional Chief Secretary (Highways and Minor Ports Department) Rajeev Ranjan. It visited the drought hit fields on January 6. The team commenced their survey from Tirupathur village in Manachanallur taluk. 

While inspecting the withered crops of one M Ponnusamy, a maize farmer told the committee “We have spent about Rs 25,000 per acre to raise Maize but due to failed north east monsoon, fields that yield as much as 1,500 kg of maize per acre have now withered completely. Only cattle can feed these crops now.” Ponnusamy said. 

The team further inspected the Keelakallukudi village that received irrigation from the Mettuvaikal, a distributary of Cauvery. The paddy field of one Jegannathan was seen with five to six inch cracks owing to the absence of Cauvery water for past two months.