Farmers of various organisations demanded on Friday immediate action for restoration of land to the owners through cancellation of bogus records registered with the Registration Department in the past few years. They alleged that the bogus records had been prepared and registered, without the knowledge of land-owners.
In a memorandum submitted to K. Petchiammal, District Revenue Officer, (DRO) who presided over the meeting, the farmers’ representatives said that the illegal act was rampant in Lalgudi taluk and farmers of Sirugalappur, Peruvalappur, P.K. Agaram, Oottathur had been duped.
Speaking on the occasion, R. Raja Chidambaram, state secretary of the Tamizhaga Vivasayigal Sangam, said that although the Lalgudi police have registered cases and apprised the details to the Registration Department authorities, the lands continued to be under the enjoyment of the bogus owners. The farmers could not avail themselves of any bank loan for their farm activities, he said.
He urged the DRO to impress upon the State government the urgent need for restoration of the land to the owners. An exclusive Act has to be passed by the State government for the restoration process.
When P. Ayyakannu, state general secretary of Bharathiya Kisan Sangam, pointed out that farmers of Pullambadi and surrounding villages including Alapakkam, Ullal, Kattuputhur and Kattur were hard hit due to non-procurement of paddy harvested about a month ago, Sakthivel, Regional Manager from Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation assured that special permission would be granted for procuring paddy. He appealed to farmers to avoid middlemen and also ensure quality in the produce. Mr. Ayyakannnu also pleaded for suspension of auction of five tractors by a nationalised bank in Woraiyur.
When he pleaded for immediate replacement of transformers developing technical snag, K. Venkataraman, Superintending Engineer, Electricity Distribution Circle, Tiruchi Metro, said that a total of 106 transformers had been newly set up against the target of 32 in the last one month. It was not possible to stock any spare or standby transformers, as the number of transformers developing technical snag due to various factors was on the rise. “As of now, 13 transformers needed to be replaced,” he said.
P. Viswanathan, state president of Tamizhaga tank and river ayacutdars association, urged the State government to repeal the proposed Tamil Nadu State Agricultural Council Act, designed by the previous government. He also pleaded for immediate maintenance of sluices in Silaiyathi village.
R. Subramaniam, deputy secretary of Cauvery Delta Farmers Welfare Association, wanted immediate import and distribution of potash to farmers, particularly banana growers in the delta districts in and around Tiruchi.
N. Veerasekaran, coordinator of the south and north Ayyan vaikkal ayacutdars welfare association, said uninterrupted power supply should be ensured for agricultural pump sets. He also wanted steps for clearing the silt in irrigation channels in consultation with the farmers’ representatives.
