Complaints of erratic power supply to farm power connections and voltage fluctuations and pleas to ensure proper desilting of water courses dominated the monthly farmers’ grievance redress meeting in Tiruchi on Friday.
R. Raja Chidambaram, State secretary, Tamizhaga Vivasayigal Sangam, said the Tangedco was providing three-phase power supply from 8.30 a.m. to 2.30 p.m. in delta and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. / 9.30 a.m. and 3.30 p.m. in non-delta areas in the State, besides the supply given during night hours. But the power supply was erratic.
With several farmers operating their motor pumpsets at the same time, there were frequent interruptions in power supply. Besides, severe voltage fluctuations in the power supply damaged motor coils. The government should review the schedule and stagger the power supply by adopting area-specific shift system as earlier and protect the interests of farmers, he said.
Ayilai Siva.Suriyan, district secretary, Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam, affiliated to the Communist Party of India, while welcoming the government’s decision to provide 50,000 more free farm power connections this year, called for connections to all pending applications. He also appealed to the district authorities to extend the link road planned from the Court campus from Sunnabukaranpatti up to Pettavaithalai along the Uyyakondan river bank.
Collector S.Sivarasu, while responding to a plea from N. Ganesan, joint secretary, Tamil Nadu Milk Producers’ Welfare Association, said that farmers can apply online for lifting ‘vandal man’ (tank sediments) from irrigation tanks from Monday. They should apply with relevant documents such as their land chitta/adangal and the approval would be given at the level of Collector, he said.
N. Veerasekaran, State secretary, Bharathiya Kisan Sangam, urged the Collector to ensure that proper surveys to fix the boundaries of the water courses were carried out before desilting works were executed. Echoing his views, R. Subramanian, deputy secretary, Cauvery Delta Farmers Welfare Association, said that a survey should be conducted on Kudamuritti canal so that it was desilted for its entire width under the Special Scheme being executed now by the Water Resources Department.
In response to a plea from P. Viswanathan, president, Tamizhaga Eri Mattrum Attru Pasana Vivasayigal Sangam, Mr. Sivarasu said the Water Resources Department was currently desilting only ‘A’ and ‘B’ category canals and ‘C’ and ‘D’ canals would be desilted by the Rural Development Department wherever necessary.
Earlier, a group of farmers led by P.Ayyakkanu, president, Desiya Thenindia Nadigal Inaippu Vivasayigal Sangam, was taken into custody by the police after they attempted to stage a dharna at the Collector’s office in protest against failure of the authorities to check corruption at the direct purchase centres and to press their other demands. Mr. Ayyakannu alleged that the practice of DPC staff demanding bribes from farmers for procuring their paddy went unchecked.
