A section of farmers staged a walk out from the farmers grievances meeting here on Friday to press their charter of demands, including immediate resumption of work on the Panchapur-Jeeyapuram bypass and waiver of all crop loans.
The protestors, most of them members of the Tamizhaga Vivasayigal Sangam, demanded steps to protect water bodies from encroachers, sand miners and realtors; constitution of the Cauvery Water Management Board and Cauvery Water Regulatory Authority by the Centre; and enforcement of total prohibition in Tamil Nadu.
Leading the walk out, M.P.Chinnadurai, district president of the association, condemned the delay in resuming the laying of by-pass road on the revised alignment without affecting water bodies as per the directions of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court.
Maintaining that that no action has been taken on this and other demands raised at the monthly farmers grievances meeting, Mr.Chinnadurai led the walk out.
Later, various other speakers including Puliyur A.Nagarajan, president, Farmers Wing of Tamil Maanila Congress, P.Ayyakannu, president, Desiya Thennindia Nadigal Inaippu Vivasayigal Sangam, Ayilai Sivasuriyan, district secretary, Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam, and P.Viswanathan, president, Tamizhaga Eri Mattrum Attru Pasana Vivasayigal Sangam, supported the demand for waiver of all crop loans.
The farmers wanted the State government to waive crop loans of cooperative institutions granted to all farmers without restricting it to small and marginal farmers.
Collector K.S.Palanisamy said their views would be conveyed to the government.
Mr.Sivasuriyan urged the government to compensate farmers and farm labourers in non-filter point areas who have not been able to take up kuruvai cultivation.
The special package announced by the government only benefitted farmers in filter point areas, he pointed out.
Mr.Puliyur Nagarajan and R.Subramanian, deputy secretary, District Cauvery Delta Farmers Welfare Association, urged the Public Works Department to renovate the Kattalai High Level Canal in the district.
A PWD official responded that a proposal for renovating the canal as a pilot project under the irrigation modernisation programme has been forwarded to the government.
N.Veerasekaran, coordinator, Ayyan Vaical Pasanatharar Sangam, urged the State government to increase the discharge of water from Mettur Dam to 3,000 cusecs to meet the requirements of standing cash crops such as sugarcane and banana irrigated through 17 irrigation channels.
