The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Madurai News : Farmers want encroachers evicted from water bodies

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Mar 19, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Madurai

Farmers want encroachers evicted from water bodies

By Our Staff Reporter

MADURAI, MARCH 18. Demands to remove encroachments from water bodies, especially irrigation tanks and supply channels, marked the farmers' grievance redress meeting held at the Collectorate here today.

Farmers in Kunnathur in Madurai North taluk raised the issue of eviction of encroachers who were "illegally" cultivating bitter gourd in the irrigation tank there, for the second consecutive season. They sought early intervention of officials and the Public Works Department to remove the squatters, who were "illegally" selling 1300 acres of land on the encroached tank. Besides, the possibility of a law and order problem was also feared, as there was infighting among the encroachers, the farmers said.

One of the farmers, Durai. Paramasivam, said the tank was desilted at a cost of Rs.five lakhs under the `Namakku Naame' scheme in 1996-97. However, the PWD did not desilt the supply channel between Viraganur dam and the irrigation tank, which had hindered free flow of water, and irrigation of over 1000 acres of land remained affected for the past four years.

Meanwhile, the squatters, who eyed the tank for cultivating bitter gourd, had "damaged" the sluices and let whatever little storage to drain wastefully. "The storage would have helped in maintaining the ground water level during summer," another farmer, S. Krishnarajan, told The Hindu .

Each of them had ploughed the tank and brought acres of land under their control. "Some of them are selling pieces of land to others for cultivation," he said. The Collector had promised to look into the matter even during the last grievance day meeting, Mr. Paramasivam said.

The tank was used for growing trees under social forestry scheme and the local body got its share of Rs.seven lakhs in 1997-98. The money was being utilised to improve basic amenities in the village. "This effort, besides fetching money to the village, also saved the tank from being encroached. We want the district administration to repeat the same," Mr. Krishnarajan said.

Similarly, farmers demanded eviction of encroachers from the Panaiyur channel, Valandur tank and its supply channel. Another farmer insisted that the PWD should clearly demarcate boundaries of tanks and supply channels to prevent encroachment. The District Revenue Officer, K. Asaithambi, chaired the meeting, in which officials from several departments, including the Joint Director -Agriculture (in-charge), Khader Mohideen, and the Executive Engineer, Periyar-Vaigai Basin Circle, K. Pandikaruppanan, participated.

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