Action sought against emu farm promoter

Those who had invested in a private emu firm, at the Coimbatore Collectorate on Monday. Photo: M. Periasamy

A few residents of Tirupur, Karur, Dharapuram, Palani, and Coimbatore on Monday petitioned the Coimbatore District Collector M. Karunagaran seeking action against the promoter of an emu farm. The residents said that they had invested in the farm – Siva Emu Farms – after its promoters promised attractive monthly returns.

They had said that for every Rs. 1 lakh invested in the farm, the investors would get around Rs. 12,000 a month. They had invested money in the middle of 2012 and received the monthly returns for around two months. Thereafter the farm promoters failed to pay money.

When confronted, the promoters said that since the State Government had initiated action against emu farms, they were venturing into real estate and other business. A few of the investors sought transfer of their investments into the real estate business.

But the promoters disappeared soon thereafter and so did their relatives. Efforts by the investors to trace the promoters failed, the petitioners said and sought action against the promoters.

Basic amenities

Residents of Dharmaraj Nagar, Marapalam and neighbouring areas in Madukkarai Special Grade Panchayat have petitioned the Mr. Karunagaran, demanding basic amenities. In their petition, the residents said that there were 500 families in the area and had been living there for the past 40 years. They were living there without any basic amenities – the locality had no usable toilets or motorable roads. All roads leading to the locality had been encroached upon. The area had a toilet but that was not in usable condition as thorny shrubs had made it inaccessible.

Now with the authorities taking up drainage construction, the roads had turned unusable. In times of emergency, ambulance would find it difficult to enter the area, the residents complained. They also sought adequate bins.

Demand for patta

Members of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam have petitioned Mr. Karunagaran seeking patta for residents of Samathuvapuram in Vadachittur village in Kinathukadavu Panchayat Union. In their petitions, they have said that of the 83 residents who had been allotted houses in the locality, the administration had provided patta only for 57. The remaining 26 residents had been running from pillar to post for the past eight years for patta. They also sought allotment of houses for 17 more beneficiaries who had been left out in the earlier initiative.