TN rains: Paddy crop on lakhs of acres submerged, govt to assess damage

Paddy crops, both Samba and Thaladi in at least five lakh acres in Cauvery delta regions, including Nagapattinam and Thanjavur, has been damaged, President of the TN Federation of All Farmers Associations, P R Pandian said.

"We urge the government to provide Rs 50,000 compensation per hectare to affected farmers. There should be transparency in providing compensation and disbursal. Village level list of beneficiaries should be made available to farmers," Pandian said.

He said during the previous AIADMK regime, Rs 20,000 was provided as relief per hectare towards inputs and it was not sufficient.

The relief was provided early this year following unseasonal rains. In view of several factors, Pandian said the government should own up the responsibility of getting compensation for farmers who have insured their crops.

'Samba' and 'Thaladi' are comparatively long-term paddy crops, while 'Kuruvai' is short-term. Minister for Revenue and Disaster Management, KKSSR Ramachandran told reporters here that District Collectors in delta regions, including Tiruvarur, have been advised to immediately assess the damage to paddy crops.

Collectors of delta regions like Thanjavur and Tiruvarur have apprised the government that "paddy crops have been affected," he added.

The delta regions of Tamil Nadu, the rice bowl of the state, have witnessed heavy rainfall recently. On Nov 9, Nagapattinam recorded a high of 31 CM rainfall. Similarly, other delta regions too witnessed heavy rainfall, including Thanjavur (16-17 CM) and Tiruvarur (19 CM).