Mark Sivarakottai as deer zone, say villagers

A group of villagers and youngsters from Naanal Nanbargal group asked Madurai Collector to act against the deer deaths. Tamil Dasan, coordinator of Naanal Nanbargal, said that though there is irrigation in the village dryland farming is carried out in the area. 

He added that the village is inhabited by a large number of deer and they often die after being hit by speeding cars crossing the national highway. Currently, the state government is trying to set up SIPCOT in the area spread across 1,500 acres. If set up, the agricultural land would be taken away and 10 lakh liters of water would be supplied to the industries from Vaigai dam.  

Dasan claimed that SIPCOT industries would bring drought to the villages and force the deer to move to other areas resulting in greater number of deer deaths. Hence, he said, the area should be declared a wildlife sanctuary for deer. 

Meanwhile, a villager Ramalingam said that the forest department has been shirking their responsibility as there is no protective barrier to prevent the deer from entering agricultural areas and destroying crops. Forest department does not provide compensation for the damaged crops and so a section of farmers in the village prefers to hunt the animal. 

So, the only solution would be to announce the area as protected. This would provide relief to both farmers and deer.