Cops prevent CPM leader from joining farmers’ protest in Tirupur

The police personnel stopped him at Thanneer Pandal, however, the CPM leader and his party cadres took a march to the venue of the protest. They raised slogans against the police, besides state and Union governments for failing to consider the plea of farmers to lay the cable underground. 

Speaking to reporters, Balakrishnan said that the government shouldn’t adopt intimidation tactics against the protesters. “The government is keen to implement the project considering only the profit of the executing firms. Instead of working out a solution, the government has been involving in intimidation tactics,” he said. 

At the District Collectoroffice in Tirupur, more than 200 farmers boycotted the weekly grievance day meeting on Friday. They gathered in front of the Collector office andshouted slogans against the district administration for failing to hold talks with the protesting farmers. 

The waiting protest by farmers in Coimbatore, Tirupur, Erode and Salem districts entered into the 12th day. Groups of farmers are also on a fast for the sixth consecutive day at the protest venue in each of these districts. 

In Erode, the police refused to allow members of political outfits from joining the farmers in their protest against transmission lines. Police removed SDPI cadre and AIDWA members when they attempted to visit the venue of the farmer’s protest at Moolakarai area. A large number of police personnel were deployed to prevent any untoward tension. In Salem, the farmers staged a mud-eating protest.

Amid protests, works to erect transmission towers began at Perumpathy near Pollachi in Coimbatore. Pits were dug in farmlands by deploying machinery while ignoring the strident opposition from farmers. The farmers claimed that they were not even informed on the proposed works. 

Farmers lamented that they have raised crops like maize and tomato, which they claimed, would be destroyed while installing transmission towers.  

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, Tiruvannamalai, Dindigul and Tirupur.

They expressed anguish that the power lines traverse through thousands of acres of fertile farmlands, which may, in turn, lead to their loss of livelihood. They also fear that their lands will lose the market value if the power lines crisscross through it. Farmers have been demanding to lay the power cables underground like in Kerala.