The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Farmers want faulty transformers replaced

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Monday, Jun 27, 2011
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Farmers want faulty transformers replaced

Special Correspondent

They meet Collector at grievance day meeting

They also want market committees to curb practice of buying paddy from traders
They say that of 17 market committees in the district, only five are functioning

VILLUPURAM: Farmers have urged the district administration to replace faulty transformers soon to ensure quality power supply to farm wells and instruct the market committees to curb the practice of buying paddy from the traders.

These views were aired in the farmers' grievance day meeting held here on Friday with District Collector C.T.Manimekalai in the chair. The farmers' representatives said that since a vast stretch of farm lands in the district was dependent on groundwater for irrigation, any interruption in power supply would severely affect the standing paddy crop.

The power lines at Tindivanam and Olakkur were more than three decades old and it was time they were replaced with new ones. The farmers suggested construction of as many check-dams as possible to replenish the ground water level and to enable the farmers to fall back upon the storage during exigencies.

The farmers alleged that the market committees were indulging in the arbitrary practice of buying paddy from the traders, to the exclusion of farmers. Several agitations were held at various parts of the district to end such a discriminatory approach to the genuine paddy growers, they said.

Responding to their grievances, the Collector said that the market committees would be duly instructed to buy paddy only from farmers. They should also be told to distinguish between farmers and traders and keep the latter at bay.

Ms. Manimekalai said that since the power situation was improving, the farmers need not have any apprehension in this regard. The farmers also noted that of the 17 market committees in the district only five were functioning.

Shortage of manpower was the main reason for the closure of the majority of market committees and hence the farmers called for speedy measures to revive all the market committees.

They sought timely payment for the paddy procured through the Direct Purchase Centres. The farmers pointed out that out of Rs.1,900 they were getting for a tonne of sugarcane, they would have to pay Rs.900 as cutting charges to labourers.

Mechanised harvesters

Therefore, they called upon the district administration to press into service more number of mechanised harvesters to cut cost on harvesting. The farmers alleged that the Rs.38-crore IAMWARM (Integrated agriculture modernisation and water-bodies restoration and management) project was not properly implemented in the Varaha Nadhi sub-basin.

The community halls that remained either closed or non functional at places such as Senthamangalam should be opened and reactivated. The staff quarters, consisting of 30 flats meant for agricultural officers, remained unoccupied and these should also be put to use.

The farmers from Vikkiravandi sought sinking of a borewell at V.Sathanur to improve water supply to the residents there. The Collector told them that the departments concerned would look into these issues.

Deputy Director (Agriculture) Anbalagan, Superintending Engineer (TNEB) Naushad, Joint Registrar of Cooperative Societies J.Malarvizhi and others participated.

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