Land survey continues despite stiff opposition from farmers in Salem

Heart-rending scenes of farmers and women from their families breaking into tears were witnessed out when the revenue department officials commenced the survey to acquire farmlands.

The villagers literally pleaded with the officials not to acquire their fertile lands as it was their source of livelihood.

The women were inconsolable over losing their land to the road project. Kuppusamy, a farmer from Kullampatty village, said, “I was planning to marry off my three daughters only with the earning from my field. Taking away my land will ruin the prospects of my daughter’s marriage and may also force us to come to streets. We will then be left with no other choice then ending our lives.”

Kuppusamy will be losing around five acres, out of his 12 acres of fertile farmland near Kullampatty road. The revenue officials carried out the survey in villages such as Minnampalli, Ramalingapuram, Erikaadu and surrounding villages under heavy police protection.

As officials went ahead with the survey, the anguished villagers shouted slogans condemning the state government for snatching away their rights through force. Meanwhile, CPI state secretary R Mutharasan termed the green corridor project as an unnecessary initiative, which might affect about 72,000 farmers.

“The government has proposed the project without taking into consideration the plight of people in an autocratic manner. Over one lakh coconut trees will be lost and thousands of acres of fertile land will fall victim,” he said.

Condemning the arrest of social activists like Piyush Manush and Valarmathi for speaking against the project, Mutharasan said that the government cannot succeed by merely muzzling down the voice of people.