A section of farmers brought and distributed porridge among themselves at the farmers’ grievances day meeting here on Friday to highlight the plight of delta ryots who were in danger of losing this year’s samba paddy crop.
Kakkarai R. Sukumaran, vice-president, Thanjavur district unit of the Tamilaga Vivasayigal Sangam, and other farmers pointed out that for the past few years kuruvai had been lost and the chances of having samba this year seemed to be bleak for want of adequate water. While Karnataka was not releasing water, the State government was not doing its best to get water even as the Centre was remaining a mute spectator and supporting Karnataka by not implementing the final orders of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal, alleged Mr. Sukumaran.
Adding that all those factors had contributed to the loss of livelihood of the delta farmers, Mr. Sukumaran and others demanded opening of porridge centres in the delta if the region was not declared drought-hit and farmers compensated accordingly. To highlight their plight, they symbolically brought porridge and distributed it among themselves at the venue of the meeting after staging a walkout.
The farmers also demanded that the distraint proceedings against the loan defaulters must be stopped forthwith, all loans availed by all sections of farmers must be waived, ponds, lakes and channels must be desilted and dredged, among other issues. If the State and Central governments were not meeting the demands of the delta farmers, then they would be forced to open porridge centres across the delta districts on September 1, they warned.
Orathanad Area Ayacutdars Association president A. Thangavel, Cauvery Delta Farmers Sangam president A.K.R. Ravichandran, secretary of the Arignar Anna Sugar Mills, Kurungulam, B. Govindaraj of Thozhagiripatti, Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam district secretary Samy Natarajan and others also put forth various demands, including pressing Karnataka to release water as per the orders of the Tribunal.
Presiding over the meet, Collector A. Annadurai assured the farmers that the State government was already seized of the issues regarding Cauvery and all efforts were being made to make available water and other agricultural inputs to the farmers. In particular, the Chief Minister had announced a special samba package for the delta farmers to take up direct sowing in suitable areas.
Farmers could make use of the incentives to prepare for samba paddy cultivation, he said.
