Support mounts for ryots’ anti-HT line stir

With protests by farmers entering its tenth day on Wednesday, traders in Pongalur, Koduvai, Avinashipalayam, Nachipalayam, Kallipalayam and neighbouring areas in Palladam closed their establishments from dawn to dusk.

Shops in several villages in and around Palladam downed shutters expressing solidarity with farmers, who are on an indefinite protest against erecting high-tension transmission towers in their farmlands.

Protests have also been growing in strength day by day and the agitating farmers have been getting support of various political parties. On Wednesday, Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) leader GK Vasan participated in the protest in Palladam and extended support to their demand.

“Both the state and central governments should try to resolve the issue by implementing the project through underground cable system like it is being done in Kerala. The governments should take into consideration that farmers will lose the market value for their lands and may not be able to practice farming to the fullest extent if transmission towers are erected in their fertile agricultural lands,” he said.

Meanwhile, Siva Kumar, a farmer, who is part of a big group on fast the fourth consecutive day, swooned at the protest venue and was rushed to Palladam Government Hospital by other agitators. The farmers also organised a land tilling protest to highlight their plight and to press their demand.

In Erode, the farmers protested by blowing conch shell at the venue. The health condition of two women, out of the total 11 persons on a continuous fast had deteriorated and was provided with first aid on Tuesday late night. Many of the fasting protestors slipped into a state of exhaustion in Salem and Coimbatore districts.

Farmers lamented that despite them protesting for the last ten days the government has failed to come forward for talks. The proposed power line is likely to cut through farmlands in as many as 13 districts across Tamil Nadu including Karur, Erode, Namakkal, Salem, Coimbatore, Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Thiruvannamalai, Dindigul and Tirupur districts.

The Tamil Maanila Congress on Wednesday accused both the Central and TN governments for neglecting the interests of farmers in TN. “The farmers were seriously affected by various schemes and projects and both governments were functioning without taking into consideration the expectations of farmers,” TMC president G K Vasan said. He was talking to reporters at Sultanpet on the outskirts, after interacting with farmers, who are on fast as part of their indefinite stir over installation of high grid power lines through agricultural fields. Vasan added that the government has to reconsider its plans and lay the lines though underground cables on highways.

Two of the five farmers who are on an indefinite fast protesting against the proposed move of the central government’s Powergrid corporation to take high tension (HT) power lines through their lands swooned and were admitted to the Tiruvannamalai government medical college hospital on Tuesday evening.

It may be recalled that farmers in various districts including Tiruvannamalai are up in arms against the Powergrid move. In this connection, a federation of farmers organisations started organising various agitations to show their united opposition to the proposed project.

Similarly, five farmers started an indefinite fast from December 23 at Thenarasampattu village near Tiruvannamalai. On Tuesday evening, two farmers, Satish Kumar and Ekambaram, swooned following which they were rushed to the Tiruvannamalai government medical college hospital by ambulance. However, the other farmers continued their protest.

Sources revealed that they would not give up till the government responded to their agitation. In a bid to draw attention to their ongoing agitation from December 17, farmers staged demonstrations with nooses around their necks, with cloths.

covering their mouths and in a semi naked condition. It is to be noted that however, there has been no official response to the agitation till date.

MDMK laader, Vaiko, on Wednesday, demanded the state government to drop the plan of erecting High Tension (HT) towers in farm lands. Vaiko said, “When government acquires farm lands for erecting HT towers rules are not followed properly and farmers who are entirely dependent on the farm lands have to lose their livelihood whenever the land acquisition process happens.” “Erection of HT towers in the farm will lower the value of the land and in most cases, there is no transparency in distribution of compensation to the farmers. Moreover, the measurements for placing HT towers are done without the permission of the concerned land owners,” Vaiko added.