The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Tiruchi News : `Give adequate flood relief to farmers'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 24, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Tiruchi

`Give adequate flood relief to farmers'

By Our Staff Reporter

TIRUCHI, DEC. 23 . The Congress today urged the State Government to take appropriate steps and provide adequate relief to farmers for crop loss caused by the recent flash floods.

The former Union Minister and Leader of the Congress Legislature Party, S. R. Balasubramanian, told the media here that the Government should hold talks with the Centre and ensure compensation due to the affected farmers. Terming the Government's announcement of Rs.5-crore food relief as `peanuts', he said this was absolutely inadequate for the rain-hit farmers.

He said the party had asked the State Government to provide Rs.8,000 per acre as compensation to the farmers and distribute rice free of cost to agricultural labourers, who had also been affected, and also to fishermen.

The Central team, which visited parts of the delta and the composite South Arcot district recently to assess the damage to the crops caused by the floods, had acknowledged that the State suffered a substantial crop loss.

Mr. Balasubramanian said the move to dig deep borewells at Coleroon at a cost of Rs.300 crores to supplement the Rs.720-crore new Veeranam scheme to take water to Chennai, would not only lead to rapid depletion of groundwater table, as feared by the farmers, but also end up in agricultural lands becoming saline owing to seepage of seawater.

Before implementing the scheme, the Government should have examined the matter deeply, he said, adding that there was Rs.500-crore scheme to bring water to Chennai from Hogenekal, which the Government could have examined. He urged the Government to reduce sales tax on petrol, diesel and LPG, as was done by a few States. Steps have been taken to strengthen the Congress in the State.

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