Farmers’ organisations have expressed strong resentment over the restrictions imposed by the government on the digging of open wells and drilling of borewells.
The State government recently amended the Tamil Nadu Panchayats Act, 1994, the Tamil Nadu Municipal Laws and the Chennai Metropolitan Area Groundwater (Regulation) Amendment Act to tighten the norms for sinking wells, borewells, and tubewells.
The amendment makes a permit mandatory for sinking wells and requires the rig owners to get a certificate of registration from the executive authority, the Collector. While the public user must remit Rs. 5,000 for getting the permit to sink wells from panchayats, the rig owners must register themselves by paying Rs. 15,000. Stringent penal provisions, including imprisonment, have been included.
In a statement issued here, Puliyur A.Nagarajan, president, Tamil Nadu Horticulture Crop Producers Association, said digging or deepening of wells and borewells have become essential for farmers in view of the severe drought conditions. Because of the drought conditions, there was fast depletion of groundwater in the bore wells.
Farmers have to necessarily go in for deepening their wells or sink new borewells to save their crops, he said.
Farmers, often raise loans, to dig or deepen their wells so as to take up cultivation. The recent government order would cause much hardship to farmers and impose an additional burden on them. The government should immediately withdraw the new law, he said.
P. Ayyakannu, president, Desiya Thennindia Nadigal Inaippu Sangam, said farmers would be forced to struggle to get the permission. Apart from having to spend more money, farmers would often be caught in the web of local politics as panchayat presidents could deny them permission. The move would not only be cumbersome for farmers but could also lead to corruption, he said.
A citizen needs to pay Rs. 5,000 get permit to drill
Rig owners have to pay Rs. 15,000 to register themselves
“Borewells have become essential for farmers in view of the severe drought conditions”
