When the State government had categorically announced that each farmer, who had lost their crops to drought, would come under three slabs — ₹23,000, ₹20,000 and ₹16,000, the insurance company and agriculture department officials had given ₹11,000 and ₹6,000 in the district, said farmers at a grievances redressal meeting here on Friday.
Demanding a thorough investigation and an assurance that the balance compensation would also be credited shortly, the farmers’ meeting witnessed heated arguments with frequent interruptions.
Chairing the meeting, District Revenue Officer Gunalan assured that he would check with the insurance officials and get back to them within a week. Only after which the issue was settled down.
When the farmers realised that the insurance company representatives were absent, it again irked them. Pandemonium prevailed for long as farmers after farmers raised objections and refused to believe the words of agriculture department officials.
Manavalakannan, a farmer from K. Naattapatti near Chellampatti, said that the farmers in their block had got anywhere between ₹5,500 and ₹11,000 per acre as compensation. “But, the point we would like to raise is that what happened to the assurance given by the ministers in the Assembly that the loss would be compensated through insurance firm and that the quantum would be between ₹16,000 and ₹23,000 per acre. Believing this, the farmers remitted premium of ₹345 per acre. While the loss suffered was even more than ₹23,000 per acre, the paltry relief came as a big shock, he added.
Among other issues, farmer Jayasingh Gnanadurai wanted the government to drop the proposal of establishing an industrial estate by SIDCO at Sivarakottai near Thirumangalam as it was a fertile location. Giving compensation to the ryots would not be a solution. However, the DRO said that the SIDCO was in the process of land acquisition.
Another farmer demanded government intervention to save crops from animal menace in the district. An officer from the forest department said that whenever the farmers complained, the teams acted swiftly. For instance, 16 monkeys were caught from Vadipatti Government Hospital and let into forests.
Likewise, another 40 monkeys were trapped in different parts of the district. Above all, the department also certified the crop loss which enabled the farmers to get compensation, he said.
