A group of sugarcane farmers on Tuesday attempted to stage a sit-in protest at the Thanjavur Collector’s Office to highlight their grievances against a private sugar mill at Thirumandankudi in the district.
The sugarcane farmers are on a relay-stir for more than 300 days near the private mill, demanding that the bank loans taken in the names of sugarcane cultivators by the previous management of the mill be settled before it was re-commissioned.
The sugarcane cultivators embarked on a relay agitation in November last seeking the disbursal of cane dues with interest and clearing the farmers of all obligation thrust on them due to the alleged bank loan scam indulged in by the previous management of the sugar mill. They also sought the take over of the mill by the government.
Annoyed by the continued neglect of their demands, the Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam and the Tamil Nadu Sugarcane Farmers Association and other organisations called for a sit-in protest at the Collectorate on Tuesday. Tight security arrangements were made at the complex in view of the agitation.
When a group of farmers’ representatives attempted to stage the stir, they were told by the police that they could not resort to the protest on the campus. The farmers alleged that many of their colleagues were prevented from reaching the Collector’s Office. After heated exchanges, about 40 farmers were taken into custody by the police.
Plea for compensation
Speaking at the farmers grievance redress meeting, a cross-section of farmers representatives called upon the government to mount pressure on the Centre to persuade the Karnataka government to release Tamil Nadu’s share of water in the Cauvery to save the standing kuruvai crop. They called upon the State government to sanction ₹35,000 an acre as compensation to the farmers, whose kuruvai crop was withering for want of water for irrigation.
According to an official note circulated at the meeting, chaired by Collector Deepak Jacob, kuruvai paddy was raised on 78,486 hectares in the district, a 48-year high, thanks to the special kuruvai package provided by the State govenrment. So far, the harvest had been completed on 41,234 hectares. Under the current samba season, paddy had been raised on 11,263 hectares. Farmers were urged to insure their samba crop before November 15.
