Farmers, peasants assn urge TN to repeal Land Consolidation Bill

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Vivasaigal Sangam and Tamil Nadu Farm Workers Association on Friday announced that they would hold a protest on May 17 urging the State government to repeal Tamil Nadu Land Consolidation (for Special Projects) Bill 2023 and scrap the plan to provide fortified rice through the public distribution system and nutritious centres.

In a statement, the Tamil Nadu Vivasaigal Sangam and Tamil Nadu Farm Workers Association general secretaries Sami Natarajan and BS Masilamani said that the government passed 17 Bills in the Assembly including the Tamil Nadu Land Consolidation Act 2023 on the last day of the budget session without any discussion.

"The land bill provides private ownership of water bodies, waterways in lands up to 100 hectares for special projects announced by the government. While there are already many laws for land acquisition, farmers have to struggle to get fair legal compensation for the land acquired from them. In this situation, the new Land Consolidation Bill brought by the state government will not help in any way to protect the lands which are the lifeblood of the poor small, small and medium farmers and to protect the water bodies in the state," they said.

On the contrary, the associations said that in the name of industrial development, the water bodies would be handed over to the private through the bill. "Hence we demand the government to repeal the Bill," they demanded.

The Union government has started implementing the supply of fortified rice to the ration shops and noon meal centres across the state, they said, adding that the fortified rice is being provided to the people without proper research on it. "We urge the Centre and the State government not to supply it," they said.