Farmers from both single crop and double crop areas in the district demanded an uninterrupted water supply for irrigation at the monthly farmers’ grievance redressal meeting here on Friday. Collector K. Veera Raghava Rao presided over it.
As the meeting started, farmers unanimously accused PWD officials (PWD) of creating confusion and panic by suspending water supply even as they had commenced farm activities a fortnight ago. Criticising engineers, farmers from Tirumangalam, Mannadimangalam, Melur and other parts said that any step to suspend or stop water may jeopardise their hopes and lead to loss.
As the demand for water grew from every pocket, the Collector said, “there is 127 feet water in Mulla Periyar dam and 46 ft in Vaigai dam... If we are to release water for all of you, the storage level may dwindle fast. On the contrary, if water is released in a phased manner for the double-crop alone, it can result in holding back the storage levels at a comfortable position until January-end.”
Not in a mood to listen to the Collector, when the farmers again rose up, pandemonium prevailed.
At one point, nothing was audible and when the officials tried to pacify, the farmers and their representatives accused them of playing with their lives. While some of the senior members representing the farmers’ associations threatened to approach the court, others said that they would resort to demonstrations demanding water.
Murugan from Mannadimangalam said that 44,000 acres of standing crop relied on water released from the Periyar channels in the belt. So far, on about 32,000 acres, farmers have completed planting and were set to spray fertilizers. When such was the scenario, stopping or suspending water may lead to problems and the crops may wither, he apprehended.
Some of the farmers from Tirumangalam alleged that there was no clarity in the sale of fertilizers. Many dealers did not display the price and they charged ‘fancy’ price or insisted farmers on buying fertilizers on their terms.
Thus, unwanted fertilizers were forcibly sold to them, they said. The Collector said that steps would be taken to conduct checks and sought the farmers to share more details about such dealers.
Earlier, officials from the agriculture department demonstrated the benefits of using masks while spraying different types of fertilizers in the fields.
The Collector also gave away farm equipment and subsidies to beneficiaries.
