Tamil Nadu - Tiruchi   

Farmers sore over seizure of tractors by nationalised banks

— Photo:R.M.Rajarathinam

airing concern:Participants at the farmers' grievances day meeting in the city on Friday.

TIRUCHI: Demands for immediate replacement of faulty transformers in rural areas and expeditious disbursal of crop loans and calls to halt seizure of tractors by nationalised banks for default of loans were among the prominent issues that were raised at the monthly farmers grievances day meeting here on Friday.

Farmers' representatives expressed resentment over the deputing of “recovery agents” by the banks to seize the tractors from the farmers. Raising the issue at the meeting, A.Karuppannan, district secretary of the farmers' wing of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, said farmers were being humiliated by the recovery agents who are deputed to seize the tractors.

Ayilai Sivasuriyan, district secretary of the Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam, affiliated to the Communist Party of India, P.Ayyakannu, vice president, Bharathiya Kisan Sangam, and A.Nagarajan, president, Horticulture Crop Producers Association, demanded that the banks put an end to the practice of seizing tractors.

Collector Jayashree Muralidharan agreed to convene a separate meeting with bankers and farmers representatives to discuss the issue. T.Ramados, Lead District Manager, said banks were following the procedure of issuing notice and personal intimation to farmers who default on the tractor loans for more than two to three years. Recovery proceedings are carried out only through an agency nominated by the Reserve Bank of India, he said.

A cross-section of the farmers also urged the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation to quickly replace transformers that fail. They alleged that crops were withering owing to delay in replacing transformers. P.Viswanathan of the Tamizhaga Tank and River Irrigated Area Farmers Association sought the installation of higher capacity transformers to meet the demand.

K.Venkataraman, Additional Chief Engineer, TANGEDCO, Tiruchi, informed the farmers that 44 transformers have been repaired/replaced over the past few days and 30 more would be replaced within a week.

G.Kanagasabai, president, Cauvery Delta Farmers Welfare Association, emphasised the need for ensuring adequate power supply to save the standing crop and for farmers to take up kuruvai cultivation.

Mr.Venkataraman said three phase supply was being provided for agricultural connections for six hours during the day and three hours during the night.

On some days, three phase supply was being provided for more hours.

R.Subramanian, deputy secretary, District Cauvery Delta Farmers Welfare Association, urged the district administration to instruct cooperative societies to sanction and disburse crop loans in time for farmers to take up kuruvai cultivation. He also called for the renovation of the New Kattalai High Level Canal.

Earlier, the Collector instructed all departments to promptly reply to petitions submitted by farmers. Expressing disappointment over the failure of some departments to reply to a few petitions, Mrs.Muralidharan said she would review the status of the petitions and warned of action against officials who failed to take up the matter seriously.

She also said that senior officers from all departments should attend the farmers grievance day meeting.

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