Virudhunagar
Even as Chief Minister, Edappadi K. Palaniswami, has announced that ruling partymen will stay away from implementation of Kudimaramathu works left with farmers, a section of farmers from Rajapalayam Taluk thronged the Collectorate a complaint of ruling party functionary threatening them to hand over kudimaramathu work.
Representatives of farmers, who have been elected as functionaries to execute kudimaramathu works of Pirakudi kanmai near Seithur, submitted a petition to the District Revenue Officer, K. Udhayakumar, at the weekly grievances meeting on Monday.
Its president, P. Nachadalingam, said that the tank with a water spread area of 300 acres and serving an ayacut of nearly 400 acres had been taken for renovation at a cost of ₹55 lakh. After the formal election and registration of the body under Society Act, the Public Works Department official handed over the work to the farmers.
“The work is all about removal of wild growth, desilting, strengthening of the bund and repair of sluices. We had just started off with removal of julia flora and desilting with two earth movers was going on. Hardly a week’s work had been carried out, local ruling party functionary interfered with the work,” he said.
“AIADMK functionary, Gurusamy, asked us to get away from the renovation work and said that he would execute the work. This is against the kudimaramathu scheme rules. Neither he is a farmer not has an ayacut in our area. When the work has been entrusted with the farmers’ association, why should he interfere? said its vice-president, V. Mariappan.
“Farmers have spent money from their pockets to mobilise funds to meet the fuel expenses of the earth movers. We have promised the workers that they will be paid the expenses once PWD released funds for the work,” he added.
The petition said that one A. Sivagurunathan had tried to force his way with a heavy machinery and started to carry out the work. “We stopped the work with the help of PWD officials. But, again his machinery entered the tank. When we have got order from PWD to carry out the work, the police came and stopped us from working,” Mr. Mariappan said.
The ruling party functionaries threatened that if the work was not given to them, they would stop payment for the work carried out by the farmers.
N. Amulraj, farmers’ representative from another tank — Vazhavanthan tank, also made a similar complaint.
However, Mr. Gurusamy said that it was farmers’ issue and he had no role in it. “We will ensure that the farmers carry out the work as per the guidelines,” said Executive Engineer, PWD, S. Raja.
