The Hindu : Rs.24.89 crores sought for drought relief works

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 29, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Others

Rs.24.89 crores sought for drought relief works

By Our Staff Reporter

PERAMBALUR, FEB. 28 . The district administration has sent a proposal to the Government, seeking Rs. 24.89 crores for executing drought relief works during this summer, the District Revenue Officer, V. Krishnamurthy, has said.

He was presiding over a farmers grievances day meeting held here. Mr. Krishnamurthy said Rs.9.73 crores was sought to tide over the drinking water crisis, and Rs.15.16 crores for implementing drought relief works under the `food-for-work' programme.

He was addressing the farmers' concern over the district not finding a place in the itinerary of the Central team that visited the drought-hit areas in the State recently.

Though the district registered an average rainfall, the untimely setting in of monsoon in May and June last year had not helped to gear up agricultural operations.

He said top priority would be given to water supply by sinking borewells, extending pipelines, and deepening open wells.

The meeting adopted a resolution urging the Government to restore free power supply to farm pumpsets.

Moving the resolution, the Tamizhnadu Vivasayigal Sangam secretary, V. Shankar, said the Government's decision to reimburse power charges to farmers through the Money Order meant an additional workload. Since the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) expressed its readiness to restore free power supply if the Government made good the loss, the Government should directly pay the TNEB.

Mr. Shankar also demanded that special power connections be extended to Tirumanur and T. Pazur blocks, the tail-end areas of the Cauvery delta, as in the case of Nagapattinam, Thanjavur and Tiruvarur districts.

A number of farmers expressed concern over the poor arrivals at the direct procurement centres. The Ponnar Ayacutdars Welfare Association secretary, V. Nagarathinam, and the Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam secretary, R. Nallusamy, said the strict humidity norms and the cost of their taking the paddy to the taluk godowns forced the farmers to sell to private traders.

Mr. Nallusamy said that as middlemen were exploiting the situation by offering a lower price, the Government should open additional procurement centres in the district.

The Tamil Nadu Sugarcane Growers Association president, A.K. Rajendran, said the massive diversion of drinking water to a private college in Perambalur had hit the supply to the residential localities.

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